Hundreds gather for Ashling Murphy as memorial fund milestone marked

By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

Hundreds of people who gathered to remember murdered school teacher Ashling Murphy heard how a fund set up in her memory has spent more than €150,000 supporting causes close to her heart.

The 23-year-old was killed in January 2022 while running along a canal path in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

On Monday, a large crowd gathered there to mark the fourth anniversary of her death.

Members of her family, and Ms Murphy’s boyfriend Ryan Casey, lead a walk along the Grand Canal – retracing her final moments.

It ended at a shrine which is maintained by locals and marks the spot where she was stabbed to death.

There prayers were said and a selection of traditional tunes were played to honour the keen musician.

James Hogan, chairperson of the Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund, said: “Ashling was involved in sport, music, an teanga gaeilge, school and was just a real community person.

“We’re delighted to be able to keep that going.

“Young people are going to flourish from her memory.”

He told the crowd: “she is deeply, deeply missed every day.

“It’s wrong and it’s not fair, but we have to move forward together.”

He added: “Ashling may not be with us in person, but she’s with us in spirit.

“And we’ve all our own little ways of remembering her, be it a robin or a rainbow or whatever natural item which appears.”

Laura Murray said Ms Murphy’s absence is felt “every single day”, adding “her loss is immeasurable”.

She said the memorial fund committee, made up of people close to Ashling, were “beyond grateful” to everyone who has been involved in commemorative walks across Ireland and who will attend an event due to take place in New York next weekend.

The fund was established in November 2022 for the purpose of “fulfilling Ashling’s legacy” and supports organisations in areas that were of interest to Ms Murphy, including Irish culture, heritage, arts, sport, and science.

Among other projects, the organisation is proud of the Gaeltact scholarships it has recently launched.

The body says the eight scholarships are “heavily funded” and will help Transition Year and Fifth Year students take up a place at Colaiste Camus in Galway, which Ms Murphy attended.

In November 2023, 34-year-old Jozef Puska was sentenced to life in prison for Ms Murphy’s murder.