Letter to the Editor: 'We will always remember the kindness of the people of Cork'

I lost my mother in the Air India bombing in 1985. I’m writing to you to request that you reprint the below letter I wrote in 1985 to thank the people of Cork, for the 40th anniversary on June 23:

My mother, Barsa Kelly, was aboard the downed airplane. The anxiety of not knowing what to expect, combined with our terrible grief, was almost intolerable.

The compassion, sympathy and support that we received from the moment we arrived in Cork somehow made our ordeal more bearable. The people of Cork made us feel as if it was their tragedy as well as ours.

We were met by two wonderful ladies when we landed, a nurse and a sister - we think their names were Geraldine and Lorna. We met Garda Donal McCarthy at the then Cork Regional Hospital, and we will be forever indebted to him for his kindness and patience. His gentle way was a crutch for us. He later phoned us at the hotel to say how glad he was we had found my mother. We were extremely touched by this gesture.

We are also indebted to Donal Cullinane and Dan Lordan, who went above and beyond their required duty to help us. Without their keen observation regarding the matching of the identification forms, we would not have found mom.

With their kind manner, they made sure we were never rushed, yet everything they did was concise and professional.

We would like once again to thank the staffs of the Imperial Hotel and of what’s now Cork University Hospital, as well as the taxi drivers who refused to let us pay them.

Not a person at the hospital passed me without asking if I needed something or just wordlessly put an arm around me.

The death of my mother will scar us forever, but we will always remember the exceptional kindness with which we were treated by the people of Cork.

We have never encountered kinder souls.

With deepest gratitude.

Lorna Kelly, Guelph, Ontario, Canada