The mother of Saoírse Ruane - the girl who inspired the Late Late Toy Show appeal - has told her daughter's funeral mass that "there is now a void in our hearts that will never be filled".
Mourners at the service for the 12-year-old - who died on Tuesday following a long illness - also heard how she was a "wonderful little angel" who is now the "Saint of Kiltullagh".
Pupils from Kiltullagh National School, where Saoírse attended, and members of the local athletics and GAA clubs formed a guard of honour outside the church ahead of the mass.
At the start of the mass, Fr Declan McInerney welcomed the many people inside and outside the church who came together as a community, to say farewell to Saoírse "the wonderful little angel that she was, and now our saint of Kiltullagh".
Fr McInerney also welcomed Colonel Stephen Howard, Aide-de-Camp of President Michael D Higgins and said they were greatly honoured by his presence here on behalf of the President. He said it brought much consolation to Saoírse's family.
Saoírse's mother Roseanna said it is four years, three months, one week and four days since the faimly first heard the word tumour, adding that: "It's been a journey filled with such joy but huge sadness".
"Saoírse always remained positive, looked to the future and we ensured that she never knew she was going to die," she said.
"The news at Christmas saw us close the doors on the world and be present with her, ensuring we were everything to her and giving her everything she needed and in that time we got to spend such quality time together and she even got to meet her two new baby cousins.
"I was mesmerised by her attitude to life and I couldn't help but wonder how do you face a battle such as cancer at the tender age of seven, how do you accept that that's your life and fight every single day to win your life back?
"How do you eventually, when the time is right, admit defeat, stand down and surrender yourself because this battle finally became too big for your little body?"
"Today is no doubt the worst day of our lives, no one should ever have to say goodbye to their child."
"Today we bow our heads and grieve the best person we will probably ever have known, for the past four years we have been breaking piece by piece and today we are finally broken"
When a child is born, she said, you remember all the firsts, like the first tooth and the first steps but you never contemplate "the lasts".
"The last time night we'd get to kiss her good night or the last time she gives you that amazing smile," she added.
"Today we bow our heads and grieve the best person we will probably ever have known, for the past four years we have been breaking piece by piece and today we are finally broken.
"I will admit it has been the hardest, most testing, heartbreaking journey I imagine we will ever have to go through but as I stand here today, on Mother's Day, I stand so proud and honoured as it was my absolute privilege to be by your side and care for you over the past few years.
"One of the last things she said to me as I tucked a pillow under her little head, was thanks Mamma you are the best Mamma in the world."
Ms Ruane thanked everyone in the country and further afield for all their support and said everyone had been praying for Saoírse and now she was asking them to pray to Saoírse.
In his homily Fr McInerney thanked Saoírse's parents and sister Farrah Rose, for sharing their beautiful daughter with the community for the past four years.
"We are honoured, privileged and blessed to have had a little bit of your daughter," he said.
"You shared the joys, the sorrows, the ups and downs and the whole nation gained."
Referring to her appearance on the Late Late Toy Show, he said for him and the nation as a whole there was only one person who stole the show and that was Saoírse and from then, he said, something wonderful happened and we got to know Saoírse and from that came the wonderful fundraising she inspired.
"So began the epic journey where we took her into our hearts and we got the best Christmas present ever, our own little saint," Fr McInerney said.
"She in her name, by her appearance, the Galway girl has raised millions of euro that has helped so many families.
"Little did we ever think such a small frail girl with a beautiful smile, would do so much in such a short period of time."
At the end of his homily Fr McInerney asked the congregation to stand and give Saoírse one big final round of applause which they did with great feeling.
Among the gifts brought to the altar to represent Saoírse's life were a photo of the Galway People of the Year Award which she won at the age of 11.
Her hurl and medals representing her sheer joy playing camogie, her beads of courage from Crumlin Hospital - each representing an operation, treatment, procedure or chemotherapy she underwent - a harp representing her love of music, a school photo representing her amazing friends and a photo of her first pet, Willow.
Saoírse captured the hearts of the nation when she appeared on the 2020 Toy Show and spoke about her fight against cancer.
She was the inspiration for the annual Late Late Toy Show appeal and former Late Late Show presenter Ryan Tubridy is attending the funeral.
Coming deep in the middle of the pandemic, her courage and bravery resonated far and wide, as she outlined the story of how she had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, an osteosarcoma tumour on her fibula, in late 2019.
She was just seven at the time.
The treatment led to intensive chemotherapy and the amputation of her right leg.
Saoírse had been fitted with a prosthetic and displayed a quiet reliance and determination when she was interviewed that night, along with her mother Roseanna.
Her story was among those to the fore later that evening, when the first Toy Show Appeal was launched.
Over €6 million was donated in a matter of hours and since then more than €17.5 million has been raised by the annual appeal.
Last March she was the Grand Marshal at the St Patrick's Day parade in Galway, leading a march of hundreds of people through the city streets; a mark of the standing she was held in by people in the region.
Late last year in a social media post, her family said that she was undergoing more treatment and asked people to keep them in their thoughts and prayers.
In a post on Instagram, the family said their "beautiful little Saoírse" died after a "long courageous and dignified battle".
