Life is not the same when you lose people you ‘spoke to everyday’

The sole survivor of a car crash in Co Kildare claimed the lives of four young women in January 2015 has paid tribute to her friends on the anniversary of the collision.

Dayna Kearney from Carlow was seriously injured when the car she was driving was in collision with a van on January 6th, 2015 at Burtown near Athy.

The four passengers in the car; Ashling Middleton (19), Chermaine Carroll (20), Gemma Nolan (19) and Niamh Doyle (19), were killed in the crash.

Two men travelling in the van managed to get out of the vehicle before it burst into flames.

"This day last year I went ice skating with four of my best friends which turned from a great day to a horrific and tragic night for many," Ms Kearney wrote in a post on Facebook on Wednesday entitled `Forever Young'.

She wrote that last year she lost “four of the greatest friends who meant so much to me”.

“They were all wonderful people to be around, each in their own way.”

She describes the past 12 months as the worst year of her life, saying it felt like a blur.

“Life is not the same and never will be the same when you lose someone you’ve seen or spoken to everyday,” she wrote.

“I am trying and will continue to try [to] live my life the way my four beautiful friends would have wanted me to, even though it is hard at times.”

“Today I think about all the girls’ families and friends as it is going to be a particularly hard day. I just want to thank everybody who has been there for me the past year! I do not know where I would be without the brilliant support.”

Ms Kearney also posted a video compilation of clips of those who died in the crash with the message “until we meet again one day you will forever be in my heart and as Ed Sheeran once said ‘your heart could never grow old, it’s evergreen’.”