By Paul Murphy. Picture: The Lawlor Moran children, Quaid, Una, Rose, Manus and Nessa at the memorial to Bettina Poeschel at Donore.
The community of Donore village in Co Meath turned out in force on Friday to remember a young German tourist who was murdered there 25 years ago.
Journalist Bettina Poeschel (28) was on a six-day trip to Ireland to see an old school friend and decided to visit the historic monument at Newgrange. She arrived in Drogheda on 25th September 2001 and having missed a bus to Newgrange by three minutes, decided to walk the 8km journey.
She was last seen alive walking along the Donore Road towards Newgrange shortly after 11.30am that morning. Her friend, Holger Sirtl, raised the alarm when she failed to return to Dublin for her flight home to Munich the next day. An extensive Garda search took place and on 17th October her body was found by Gardai Pat Kelly and Oliver Keegan in dense undergrowth just off Donore Road. A 42-year-old Drogheda man was later given a mandatory life sentence for her murder. He had already served a 12-year sentence for the manslaughter of another woman.
Up to 150 people gathered at a roadside memorial to Miss Poeschel to mark the 25th anniversary of her death. Community organisations in the village of Donore organised the event, and among the attendance were retired Garda Chief Superintendent Michael Finnegan, and Gardai Pat Kelly and Mick Toner. Local people lined up to sign a petition to Meath County Council to have a “Bettina Way” walkway installed between Drogheda and Newgrange.
Standing at the memorial to Bettina, Fr Derek Ryan prayed at the site and said that 25th September was a day that had great significance in the life of the community. People wanted to pause for a moment at what he termed “this sacred site”. Quoting from the poem “Beannacht” by the late Irish poet, philosopher and priest John O’Donohue for his mother, Josie, he said that it was written so that she would be comforted in the time of grief, and that it would offer comfort not only to a person but a community.
Singer Pat Gogan and Fr Derek Ryan.
Reading from the gospel of St John Fr Ryan said Jesus had said “my brothers and sisters do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust in me. There are many rooms in my father’s house. If there were not I should have told you. I’m going now to prepare a place for you and after I have gone and prepared a place for you I shall return to take you with me”.
Fr Ryan said it was a very difficult and poignant day for the community and it is very hard to know what is appropriate to say on a day like today. In my 14 years of priesthood I could safely say that as I travel around the world and around this country that there are events that take place in a parish and community that leave their mark. Sometimes these can be happy events. Those events can bring great joy and excitement and it’s a feeling that stays with us forever. Bettina’s murder in this community left many people with feelings that are still as vivid today as they were 25 years ago”.
“As we all know tragedy comes knocking too often in life. And then what we are left to do is that we are left to figure out ways as a community to heal”.
The attendance included Senator Alison Comyn, Cllrs James Byrne, Paddy Meade and Geraldine Keogan. Following the ceremony six oak saplings were planted in Bettina Poeschel’s memory.
Retired Garda Chug Superintendent Michael Finnegan (left) with Cllr Paddy Meade.
Retired Garda Pat Kelly and his wife Ann.
