'She was always pleasant, always smiling,' Portlaoise vigil organisers want to show solidarity
Members of the public are invited to attend the event in solidarity with Adina and her family
It’s hoped ‘a daughter, a sister, a friend, a community member’ will be remembered when the community gathers for a vigil in memory of Adina Raluca Constantin next week.
The Romanian national, who was in her 50s and worked in a dental clinic in Church Street, died following an assault in Portlaoise on Sunday, July 5. She had worked in the town for over a decade.
The vigil is being planned by a group of local women who came together and reached out to Adina’s family. Niamh Ryan, who previously organised a vigil in memory of murdered Offaly school teacher Ashling Murphy, Collette Doocey, who works in Portlaoise Dental on Church Street, Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley and Oonagh Duggan met with Adina’s sister Dana and close friend Adriana at the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise on Thursday.
Collette said: “I would have just known Adina in passing. I work in Portlaoise Dental…She was always pleasant, always smiling.”
“I just felt something needed to be done to support the family, to honour her life,” Colette explained.
READ ALSO: Family of Laois murder victim Adina Constantin launch fundraiser to bring her home to rest
She spoke to friends about Adina and all agreed an event should be held in her memory.
Colette then approached Portlaoise Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley, who put her in touch with Niamh, as she knew Niamh had organised the vigil for Ashling Murphy.
Once the family was happy for the event the organisers announced their plans to hold the vigil next Friday.
“Everyone is happy that it is going ahead to be honest, I have had great feedback,” Colette said.
She said the whole idea is “to come together, just to be together in solidarity with the family. To show she was loved, she was a lovely lady and she will be missed.”
“I want Adina’s family to take her back with their hearts full, knowing that this was done for her,” said Colette.
She expects people will “just stand united with the people of Portlaoise for her family and Adina”.
Niamh believes Adina’s death should spark “a national conversation” and she hopes the vigil will contribute to that.
“Adina was a daughter, a sister, a friend, a community member. I suppose, like Ashling Murphy, there has been shock and upset throughout Portlaoise and the whole of Ireland,” she said.
“We would love to come together and remember Adina for the way she was and not the way she was taken from the world,” Niamh explained.
“We want to remember the life. We want to remember who she was and we want to do it with the family,” said Niamh.
Adina’s sister Dana Baciu gave her blessing to the vigil and the organisers are now planning to hold the event in her memory. They are inviting people to attend on the day and to bring a candle to light in her memory.
It’s understood Adina’s family are hoping to repatriate her remains to her native Romania and may need to raise funds to bring her home for burial.
Organisers are hopeful of a good turnout on the day of the vigil. They are planning to have some music and are inviting people to come along.
Adina lived and worked on Church Street in Portlaoise for the past decade. Her vigil will take place in the Memorial Garden off the Ridge Road in Portlaoise on Friday, July 17 at 6pm.