‘We are desparate, she is our only daughter’
‘WE WILL LIVE IN THE HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE A GOOD OUTCOME TO THIS’
KAREN (24) is the youngest child and only daughter of John (62) and Marion (61) Buckley from Glynn, Mourneabbey. Karen has three brothers Kieran (28) and Damien (27), both of whom life and work in Sydney and Brendan (32) who lives in Cork. She was a pupil at Analeentha National School and parishioners were due to hold a mass for Karen at the Analeentha Church on Wednesday evening. She subsequently attended St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow. In a statement the principal at St Mary’s, Yvonne Bane, said “the thoughts and prayers of our school community are with the Buckley family at this time.” Growing up, Karen was an avid GAA player and a member of the Mourneabbey Ladies GAA Club. In the hours following her disappearance friends set up a dedicated Facebook page seeking help to find Karen that had received more than 50,000 likes. The Buckley family is also well-know within local GAA circles as her brothers played with local underage club Clyda Rovers. As a teenager Karen was also a member of the Mourneabbey Youth Club. Karen graduated from the University of Limerick in January 2014 with a degree in general nursing. In a statement, the college also extended thoughts and prayers to the Buckley family and Karen’s friends and expressed the hope that she would be found safe and well. After graduation Karen travelled to the US and Thailand and worked as a nurse at the Princess Alexandria Hospital in Essex before moving to Glasgow in January of this year to study occupational therapy at the Caledonian University. In Glasgow, Karen shared a house with three other female students at Hill Street, Garnethill. She is understood to have had drinks in the flat with friends prior to going to the Sanctuary nightclub at around 11.45pm. At around 1am Karen told friends that she was going to use the bathroom but failed to return and did not take her jacket with her. She was last seen on CCTV outside the nightclub talking to a man before walking away from the direction of Glasgow city centre. After she failed to return home her friends attempted to contact her by mobile phone which continued to ring out before the battery ran out on Sunday morning. Friends of the missing student then raised the alarm telling police it was very out of character for her not to return home or stay in contact with through text or social media. During a press conference in Glasgow on Tuesday Karen’s parents made an emotional appeal for her safe return. Mrs Buckley said: “We just want Karen home safely, we are desperate. She’s our only daughter, we love her dearly. If anyone has any information please come forward, we would dearly appreciate it Mr Buckley added: “We love her to bits and we are devastated.” Back home in Mourenabbey locals were trying to come to terms with the unfolding situation, with parish priest Fr Joe O’Keeffe leading prayers for Karen at the St John The Baptist Church in Burnfort on Tuesday morning. “All we can do is keep Karen and her family in our thoughts and prayers and hope she is found safe and well as quickly as possible,” said Fr O’Keeffe. Retired Garda inspector Michael Keogh, who lives a short distance from the Buckley farm, said locals were in shock. He said Karen’s father, John, had been farming in the area all his life and he and his family were extremely respected members of the community. “I must know them for nearly 40 years and they are the most decent, salt of the earth type people you can meet. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as are everybody else’s in the community. We will live in the hope that there will be a good outcome to this. Please God everything will work out alright,” Mr Keogh said.