Offaly teen pens touching poem in memory of best friend killed on road

CARA Cronly has written a touching poem in memory of her friendship with her best friend Aoife Doyle, who was knocked down and killed by a texting learner driver last year.

The five-verse poem has been mounted on one of the photographs of Aoife taken by Cara shortly before she was struck on the road near Clara in March 2020.

Cara's mother Sinead brought the poem to last Friday's inquest into the death of Aoife and showed it to the county coroner Raymond Mahon.

Titled simply 'Aoife', the verses speak of the evening when the two girls went out to take photographs of the sunset “as God looked down on us that day” and says they did not know “we would say our last goodbye, we were best friends forever and only God knows why”.

Cara writes that God took Aoife “in an instant” but she says the memories she has of her friend will never go away.

The final verse says: “Look down on me from Heaven/my precious Aoife, my best friend, until we walk again in the sunset/our friendship will never end.”

The full poem reads:

'Aoife'

"We went out for a happy walk,

we laughed along the way.

We took photos of the sunset

as God looked down on us that day.

We did not know as we ran along,

we would say our last goodbye,

we were best friends forever

and only God knows why.

He took you in an instant,

from beside me you were gone.

My heart in shattered pieces,

how will I carry on?

I have so many memories,

in my heart they'll always stay,

forever and for always,

they will never go away.

Look down on me from Heaven

my precious Aoife, my best friend,

until we walk again in the sunset

our friendship will never end."

REPORT FROM THE INQUEST:

https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/682323/offaly-coroner-says-drug-testing-should-be-mandatory-after-road-collisions.html