Students at Mulroy College near Creeslough in Donegal have received a Special Recognition Award at the Garda National Youth Awards in Portlaoise for their compassion and support for one another and the whole community in the aftermath of the tragedy in which 10 people were killed in the village in October last year.
Among those who died were two young students of the college, Leona Harper and James Monaghan, as well as the mothers of two other students, Catherine O'Donnell and Martina Martin.
The citation for the award said "their maturity and compassion have lifted people up during a distressing time, and the support that they continue to offer to the locality is a tribute to all ten people that lost their lives".
Principal of Mulroy College Fiona Temple expressed great pride at the award being made because she said "it recognises the great care, compassion and resilience that our students give each other and us, every day of the week".
Some 25 awards were made in five different categories at the ceremony this afternoon, each one recognising exceptional young people aged 13 to 21 who have positively contributed to their community.
The national awards were established in 2019 by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris "in recognition of the meaningful work of so many young people in communities across Ireland".
The recipients of todays awards represent the Garda divisions of Dublin, Kerry, Cork, Sligo/Leitrim, Mayo/Roscommon, Longford, Tipperary and Donegal.
Among the winners were twin sisters Sarah and Rachel Bello from Carlow who were born with a rare, incurable blood disorder which causes them severe pain.
Both are now in sixth year in school and living full lives, meeting all obstacles that come their way with resilience and good humour.
They acknowledge their great support network and are actively involved in many areas including their church community, Comhairle na nÓg and they also volunteer with Carlow Regional Youth Service and Barretstown.
"Their personal story reminds us all - young people and adults alike, to seize every day as an opportunity to do good, " according to the citation for their award.
Miley Doran, also from Carlow, was honoured for saving the lives of a mother and daughter from drowning.
Miley was 17 at the time and was fishing on the banks of the river Barrow when he heard the screams of 13-year-old Sophie Foley-Smith and her mother who were both in difficulty in the water.
The young girl had fallen into the water and her mother had gone in to try to save her, Miley said, but neither of them could swim and he had to act fast to save hem both.
Miley said he was very thankful to receive the award and that he and his mother Maggie, who attended the ceremony with him, felt very proud that he was recognised by An Garda Síochána for what he had done.
The citation in recognition for Miley's award said that he is "naturally very modest but is a remarkable advocate for the Irish Traveller community who deserves every accolade and commands all our respect."
Sophie Lanigan, 12, from Dublin was equally delighted but also very surprised to receive her reward.
Last December she contracted strep A and sepsis, severe infections which left her without limbs.
Sophie never gave up, however, and has learned to walk with prosthetics and to paint and write again.
She is also back playing sports, including wheelchair rugby and table tennis and she says her next goal is to start swimming and get back to gymnastics.
The award recognises the fact that "in spite of life-altering circumstances and the obstacles to overcome being left without her arms or legs, Sophie has never looked back. She has been accepting and continues to live her life with joy."
Deputy Garda Commissioner Anne Marie McMahon, who presented the awards, said the future is looking really bright with all the excellent initiatives of these young people, ranging from caring to sporting and just helping in general.
Praising all of the young people receiving awards the deputy commissioner said the gardaí felt so privileged to be working with them and to be able to acknowledge their achievements.
