The boyfriend of a teenager killed along with three others in a car crash on the way to celebrate exam results has revealed the tragic way he found out.
Aaron Costin had been in a relationship with Grace McSweeney for two years and received a message from the 18-year-old on Snapchat just before she got into the car.
Minutes after seeing her location on the app, Aaron’s friend sent him a text saying there had been a crash on the road Grace was on.
Grace’s brother Luke McSweeney, 24, along with Zoey Coffey, 18, and Nicole Murphy, 18, died at the scene in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, after the car they were travelling in struck a wall.
Mr McSweeney was driving the teenagers to a bus on Friday when the car overturned and crashed into a wall.
Aaron rushed to the scene but couldn’t get to the area because it was blocked off by police, he told The Sunday Times.
“There was something in me that didn’t want to believe it was their car but I could see the car and then I knew what it was. It was hard,” he said. “She was bubbly, she was friendly. She was there for anyone, whenever you wanted. Her family made the home very welcoming.”
Aaron had last seen Grace the day before the crash after she’d texted him worried about her results. He picked her up and they walked around Carey’s Castle, a short drive from Clonmel.
The young couple met at a party organised by Zoey Coffey, 18, who also lost her life in the crash.
Aaron said Grace and Zoey were inseparable, and the day he met Grace was the happiest day of his life. “She was one of the greatest women I’ve ever met in my life,” he added.
The pair had been looking forward to a trip together to Amsterdam, which they had planned in part because of Grace’s love for history. She’d wanted to visit the Anne Frank House.
Laying flowers at the scene on Sunday, Aaron said: “She was the love of my life.”
The funeral for siblings Grace and Luke will take place on Friday and a book of condolences will open at County Hall in Clonmel on Monday.
Parish priest Fr John Treacy said the funeral for Mr and Ms McSweeney would take place at St Peter and Paul’s Church in Clonmel at 11.30am on Friday.
Father Treacy said “very difficult” days lay ahead for the families.
“The love of a parent for their child, it’s an unspeakable and inseparable bond of love and fidelity, and tenderness and compassion, and to lose that is just something that words cannot adequately describe,” he told RTE Radio One.
Aaron’s mother, Jennifer Costin, posted a tribute to Grace on Facebook the day after the crash. She wrote: “None of it seems real today. Thank you for making my son happy and I’ll do my best to mind him for you.”
Around 2,000 people gathered in Clonmel for a vigil to mourn the death of the four youngsters on Sunday evening, with the location of the crash now adorned with flowers, notes and candles.
Grieving family members and classmates of the victims of Friday evening’s crash were among those who attended the emotional event at Kickham Plaza.
Classmates from Presentation Secondary School wore lilac jumpers that commemorate their graduate class of 2023.
Speaking after Sunday’s vigil, Bishop of Waterford Alphonsus Cullinan said there was a “strength” in the community coming together in grief. “Because there’s so many people here, it just shows the strength of community that’s here, the bond that’s here,” he said.
“Everyone here has a connection with what those three families and those four youngsters, God love them all.
“So, there’s a real strength in that consoling one another, helping one another, to go through the grief, praying together, as well as singing together, crying together.
“It’s heartbreaking and there’s no easy solution. There’s no easy words. We just have to find the strength to struggle on.”
Gardai have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash, and are appealing for witnesses. Their investigation is currently focusing on preparing a report for the local coroner.
Adverse weather conditions at the time of the crash, including heavy downpours at the scene when first responders arrived, will be considered as part of the inquiry.
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