by Andrew Carey
HOURS after his 15 year-old niece’s body was taken from the River Shannon, a grief-stricken Limerick man made an emotional plea to young girls to respect life and look for help if they need it.
There were heartbreaking scenes at St Munchins Family Resource Centre in Kileely last Friday as Mathew Franklin thanked those who took part in the search for his niece Chloe Kinsella whose body found six days after she went missing from her home on Kenyon Avenue in Kileely.
Search and recovery divers took her body from the river at Brown’s Quay, just metres from her home shortly before midday on Friday.
Addressing Chloe’s 5th year classmates from St Nessan’s Community College and the hundreds of volunteers who searched for his niece, Mr Franklin said: “Girls please, just look what’s after happening, 15 years of age, A child gone… Live your lives, just relax and be happy.
“Just have respect for life and look after yourselves…. If the pressure gets to ye, just go and seek help or something. As far as we know there was nothing wrong with Chloe, it just all of a sudden came on top of her.”
Urging that teenagers should be responsible about life, Mr Franklin said “if you need help, seek help, because if it gets out of hand, we’ll have another tragedy on our hands.
“She was just a lovely little child. She passed my house every morning and hugged my little seven year old daughter, and now she’s gone.”
Chloe’s sister Linsey, broke down as she thanked everybody who helped in the search for her youngest sister.
“I never thought I would be seeing this day,” the 23-year-old wept.
“Chloe, I was waiting for you to come home or even ring my phone”.
“Thanks to everyone who helped to find her. She never knew how much she was really loved.”
Local Sinn Fein Councillor Maurice Quinlivan, who helped co-ordinate some of the searches, paid tribute to the local community and the hundreds who helped in the search.
“Sometimes this community doesn’t get the best of publicity but, from what I saw this last week, we are definitely the best community in the whole country,” he said.
Teenage girls wept openly as Chloe’s sister was comforted by relatives and friends at St Munchin’s Community Centre from where all of the weeklong searches were co-ordinated and where volunteers were offered support and refreshments.
Superintendent Daniel Keane, of Henry Street Garda Station, who led the operation, also paid tribute to what he said was a “great community who stood steadfast in their support for the Kinsella family”
“I want to thank you genuinely for the help you have give to An Garda Siochana in relation to the help you have given over the past six days.”
“You are a brilliant community your numbers here today and your numbers over the past five days have proved that,” he added.
Supt Keane also thanked the numerous agencies including Limerick Marine Search and Rescue, The Irish Coast Guard, Killalloe and Mallow Coast Guard, Irish Search Dog Specialists from Cork and the Abbeyfeale District Search and Rescue who were involved in the six day search.
Praising the strength of the local community Fr Tony O’Riordan, from Corpus Christi Parish in Moyross said it was hard to find words to explain what happened but he urged those gathered to support one another and not be overwhelmed by the sadness of what had occurred.
Chloe’s body was taken from the scene to University Hospital Limerick where a post mortem was carried out. Gardai do not suspect foul play.
The 15-year-old is survived by her parents Shirley and Kevin four sisters and four brothers.
This is the second time tragedy has visited the Kinsella family. In 2004, their youngest daughter Sophie died from a heart illness aged just four years old.
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