Happy, kind-hearted girl who loved life
SHE was a happy and popular girl, with a quick smile and a twinkle in her eye. Her friends have the photos to prove it.
They have been posting pictures of themselves with tragic victim Karen Buckley.
People who knew her say she developed from a shy but friendly teenager to an outgoing and confident young woman.
But the photos show that her appearance changed little over the years – always grinning warmly, with big brown eyes and something of a baby face.
In one, posted by Ciara Haugh, Karen is seen smiling amid four friends wearing school uniforms.
‘Happy times shared with Karen over the years… gone but never forgotten XXX,’ her friend wrote.
Another photo, posted by Orla Hartnett shows a fresh-faced and smiling Karen at 14 or 15.
Aoife Dooley posted a collage of more recent photos, showing Karen on nights out with friends.
‘We will always love you and miss you forever Karen,’ she wrote.
Karen enjoyed an idyllic childhood on her parents’ farm at Glynn, Mourneabbey between Mallow and Cork city.
She attended Analeentha National School and continued her studies at St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow. She was a member of Mourneabbey Ladies Football Club while her brothers played GAA with Clyda Rovers.
After doing well in her leaving Certificate, Karen moved to Limerick to study general nursing at UL. She settled quickly into college life, joining clubs and societies in the university. Anne Fahy, the programme director for the B.Sc in nursing at UL, said Karen was an ‘excellent student’.
‘She had such an open and bubbly personality and was very popular and because of that she made lots of friends. ‘She had a very kind heart and her whole aim in life was to help people.’ During her four years in UL, Karen spent time
working at University Hospital Limerick and St John’s Hospital in Ennis.
‘She was a beautiful girl in the sense that she was very open and extremely obliging and helpful. All of the health service partners had great praise for Karen,’ said Ms Fahy.
After graduating, Karen took time out and travelled to the US and Thailand. Then she began work as a nurse at Princess Alexandria Hospital in Harlow, Essex.
Three months ago, Karen moved to Glasgow to study for a master’s in occupational therapy at Glasgow Caledonian University.
She moved into a flat on Hill Street in Garnethill with three other young women and was said to have been enjoying her studies and the social life of the city.
Sadly, it was while Karen was typically enjoying a night out among friends that she met her tragic end.