On both sides of the road into Ramelton stood hundreds of children dressed in the hues of a Donegal October. Wine, yellow and grey. And black.
Shivering in the soft rain, they stood resolute in their school uniforms to guide Leona Harper’s body into St Mary’s Church where she was baptised, made her First Communion and was confirmed, on the brow of the hill turning down into the small Georgian town.
Puffa jackets and raincoats lay cast behind them.
There was a shorter route from her home at Mountain Top, outside Letterkenny, through the farmlands of Glassaghmore and Ballyare, but the Harper family wanted to pass her beloved rugby club, where she played in the under 14s team.
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An hour before her funeral began at 2pm, scores of club mates, coaches and officials at Letterkenny rugby club, 10km from the church, were already standing on the road to bid their last goodbye.
As the cortège arrived in Ramelton, each of the children, feet pressed together, hands clasped behind their backs, took their turn to bow and bless themselves as the hearse, led by a single Garda motorcycle outrider, slowly passed.
They were Leona’s classmates at Mulroy College in Milford. Younger children from Scoil Mhuire in Ramelton also lined the route.
Floral tributes garlanded the coffin inside. Many more were attached to the roof of the hearse. A large photo of a beaming Leona placed at the foot of the coffin was visible through the rear window.
Directly behind came a large red tractor, cleaned spotless for the day in tribute to Leona’s passion for vehicles and the outdoors. A banner bearing the schoolgirl’s name was pasted on.
As a biting wind rose over the River Lennon below, still the children stood coatless against the elements. A teacher suggested they could pull on their jackets. Many of them politely declined as the opening chimes of Into the Arms of an Angel filled the damp air outside the church.
“This afternoon we gather in prayer to honour one of the youngest victims of this tragedy — Leona Harper,” Fr Michael Carney told the packed church and many mourners listening to a speaker outside.
Her 14 years were short, “too short”, he said, but she had “lived life to the full.. made her unique contribution, left her imprint and contributed to the lives of those she loved, lived and laughed with”.
Turning to her parents, he said: “Your little daughter was indeed a precious gem.”
Leona’s father Hugh put his arm around her mother Donna, next to their sons Anthony, “her protective big brother”, and Jamie, who she “knocked great craic out of”.
She was their “little miracle”, the funeral was told, “a little lady with a big heart” who was “quiet, no trouble and always helpful”.
“She was into her music and dance and was developing an eye for hair and fashion,” said Fr Carney.
“But there was so much more. Leona loved the outdoors. She fished, she wondered to her Dad recently when they would go hunting again. She loved the peace and serenity of Gartan lake.
“A love of animals developed into an appreciation for farming and agriculture and a passion for tractors. She was beginning to figure in her rugby club as a gifted player. And like many girls the exploits and success of Kelly Harrington and Katie Taylor had sparked an interest in boxing. And Liverpool was her team.”
Outside the church, a large Liverpool FC flag had been hoisted to the railings. A banner proclaimed “Donegal Reds” was held aloft by fellow fans.
Two years into secondary school, Leona was “like a butterfly, emerging from the cocoon of girlhood and developing into a young lady of promise,” said Fr Carney.
“Her principal and teachers in Mulroy College talk of a happy girl who loved being in school, who radiated joy, love and kindness and appreciated everything her school gave her.”
But she was no shrinking violet, he added. “She was feisty and with a lovely level of independence. She could speak her mind and speak for others in that gentle but insistent way that got the attention of the grown-ups.
“She stood up for those who could not stand up for themselves. She had maturity beyond her years and a deeply caring way.”
In her Junior Cert year, she had “knuckled down” and was “looking at the horizon of career options” and had been considering teaching.
“I know that you will miss the mischievous huddle and the giggles and excited enjoyment of your friendship,” the parish priest told her schoolmates.
Those schoolmates lined the church path and road outside again to guide Leona’s coffin out. Arm in arm, Hugh and Donna walked directly behind the hearse, the photo of their “little miracle” Leona smiling out at the them, as they descended into the town on the way to Termon graveyard.
At the roadside were two dogs: a cocker spaniel called Tess and a Labrador called Brodhe. They were the rescue dogs that helped locate Leona’s body from the rubble of the Creeslough explosion last Friday.
As the funeral came to a close, Leona’s family asked to thank the emergency services — on both sides of the Border — as well as neighbours and President Michael D Higgins, among the mourners.
But they particularly wanted to thank the digger driver who would not stop working to recover her body 24 hours after the blast.