The Syrian family of a teenage girl killed in a car crash in Co Monaghan last summer have been reunited with another daughter after eight years apart.
Sixteen-year-old Dlava Mohamed was on the way to a debs ball when the crash happened.
Her best friend 17-year-old Kiea McCann was also killed in the crash.
The Mohamed family came to Ireland from Syria in 2018 and settled in Clones, as part of the Government's resettlement programme.
One of their daughters, Jihan Osso, was not eligible to come at the time, because she was married with her own family.
Following the tragedy last August, the local community rallied around and began the process of organising a visa to bring the rest of the Mohamed family here to Ireland.
The Irish Red Cross said the visa was granted to Ms Osso, her husband and their three children on compassionate grounds, and the organisation, with its international partners, IOM (International Organisation for Migration) assisted on the logistical side of getting them here, including arranging temporary travel documents.
Before she came here from Lebanon, Ms Osso said the first thing she wanted to do was visit her sister's grave.
Today, at a celebration for the reunited family in Clones, she said that she was so happy to be here.
She added that being here with her family feels like a dream.
Another Mohamed sister, Lilav Mohamed, who has lived here since 2018, said the family never thought this day would come that they would be together again in Ireland.
The happy reunion comes just six months after the tragedy struck the family.
"No matter how many happy occasions you have, you always feel there's something missing," Ms Mohamed said.
"We're broken inside. Now with Jihan here, it's great support, we're so happy that she's here."
Another Mohamed sister, 18-year-old Avin, was badly injured in the crash and is still recovering from her injuries.
"She's doing good, but she still needs time to recover physically," she said.
The girls' father, Mohamed Mohamed said it had been a hard time for his family but that today he was happy.
"I feel happy this is special time for me and my family, we are all happy," he said.
Mr Mohamed thanked the people of Clones for their support.
"People of Clones is friendly support my family, thank you for them," he said.
"Clones is home."
Sascha Cumiskey, a teacher in Largy College, where Dlava and Avin Mohamed attended, was one of those involved in getting behind the family.
She first met their elder sister Lilav in 2108 when she started in the Transition Year class.
"Over time, we got to know her, we were instantly struck by her and her story," Ms Cumiskey said.
She said that a "relationship blossomed between the school and the family".
"When the tragedy happened last summer, we were utterly devastated as a community, as a school community and so when Lilav's mam was asked what we could do for her, the only thing she wanted was some intervention to assist Jihan coming to Ireland," she added.
The Secretary General of the Irish Red Cross, Deirdre Garvey said today was a celebration of community and welcome.
"It's to welcome and embrace a family who have lived here for several years, and who were struck by tragedy last summer", she said.
Ms Garvey said the Irish Red Cross was on hand to help with the process of getting Jihan Osso and her family to Ireland.
"The visa was there, but how to get them here? They didn't have travel documents, they didn't have passports, they were living in Lebanon, having gone there from the troubles in Syria, so that's where the Red Cross steps in," she said.
"Its part of our remit in Ireland, to work with our colleagues all over the world, and indeed, Geneva, the ICRC, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the IOM, the International Organisation for Migration, to help get them the travel documents, it's a one time use passport, that's just to come into the country, and also the funds and the supports to enable them to make that journey."
