Dead girl saved holiday job money to but her ticket

THE parents of Bernadette O'Brien will have to live with the decision to allow her to attend the Smashing Pumpkins concert for…

THE parents of Bernadette O'Brien will have to live with the decision to allow her to attend the Smashing Pumpkins concert for the rest of their lives, her father, Mr Noel O'Brien, told the inquest yesterday.

He said he and his wife, Anne Marie, had always been discerning about what they let their daughter attend. Bernadette had told them she wished to go to the Smashing Pumpkins concert and had saved the money for the ticket from a holiday job.

"She wished to see the Smashing Pumpkins and we did not see a problem. We had discouraged her from other concerts. We had never realised the mayhem that would be there. Unfortunately, we must live with that decision for the rest of our lives," said an emotional Mr O'Brien.

He wanted to address the inquest to speak about Bernadette. "We noticed throughout the inquest that Bernadette has been referred to as Ms O'Brien, I would like to tell you what she was like" he said.

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She was a typical teenager, very loyal to her family and friends. She loved music, sport and German and would have been going to Germany next month on an exchange programme.

In a statement, the family said the last few months had been "horrendous" and they had been helped through it thanks to the support of relatives, neighbours and friends, particularly Father Dave Herlihy of Cloyne. Mr O'Brien also thanked the Garda and the staff at the Mater Hospital.

"We hope that as a result of this inquest that changes will be made to ensure no other parents have to go through this," said the statement.

Offering his sympathies to the family, the coroner, Mr Brian Farrell, said he hoped it would be a consolation to them that Bernadette appeared to have lost consciousness rapidly and did not suffer unduly.

Det Insp Oliver Hanly, who investigated the death, said there were no witnesses who could precisely say what happened to Ms O'Brien on the night of the concert. More than 150 people had been interviewed.

A barrier was in place at the front of the stage on the night that the Smashing Pumpkins played. But the inquest heard there had been a sideways movement and it was around this time that a section of the crowd close to the middle collapsed. Ms O'Brien got caught in this collapse.