'My daughter in her 16 short years made such an impact on people because her kindness was immeasurable'

The devastated mother of 16 year-old Mia Lily Keogh O'Keeffe, who died following a hit-and-run incident in Navan last weekend has shared her family's heartbreak after the much-loved Navan teenager was laid laid to rest yesterday (Friday February 27th).

Mia Lily, who was out walking her pet dog Bowie, who was also killed in the incident, was just yards from her Belmont home last Saturday evening when they were struck by a car that failed to remain at the scene on the Navan Slane road. A man was later arrested in connection with the incident and a file sent to the DPP.

Following her funeral, which saw a guard of honour provided by the entire Loreto Secondary School community, Mia Lily's bereft mum, Louise Keogh O'Keeffe said the family had said "a goodbye none of us wanted to say".

"We said goodbye to her yesterday. A goodbye none of us wanted to say. A forced goodbye, framed with grief and an apology to her that I felt I had to give."

"The guilt you’ve made me feel as a mother, that this is my fault, that I should have stopped her.

"Bowie tried to stop her twice. He pulled her back at the door before she left. He knew something was wrong, and he still went with her, stayed by her side and followed her all the way. All the way into your mistake. All the way into your negligence.

"I told you that you started a ripple, and over the past few days I have seen just how big that ripple has grown. You had no idea who you took, and you didn’t care to stop and try to help. You left her, and that tells me the type of person you are. Mistakes don’t determine a person, but actions do.

"My daughter in her 16 short years made such an impact on people because her kindness was immeasurable. She put others before herself and took such pride in her efforts to make others happy. You don’t come close to the person you took.

"My daughter is without her only sister, and her baby brothers are so confused. They play and then something hits them that everything is not okay. My eight-year old son told me to hug him and pretend it’s her, “it will make you feel better mam.” My five year old told me he would give her his whole heart to let her be alive. My two year old stared at her lying in her coffin with a look of such confusion.

"These are the memories you’ve forced into three childhoods.

"My five-year old child wanted to make a speech, so we let him, thinking he might say how much he loved her. Instead, quoting something he will obviously never forget, he said he remembers my screams.

"You took one child, but in reality you’ve destroyed them all by forcing their lives into this turmoil and horrific tragedy that they will never get over.

"May God have mercy on your soul."

A GoFundMe page to support the family of Mia Lily Keogh O'Keeffe can be found here