'Cork has lost a gem but heaven has gained an angel,' Vanessa O'Callaghan's funeral told
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Cork has "lost a gem but heaven has gained an angel", the heartbroken daughter of the woman who died after she was assaulted at a soup kitchen for the homeless told mourners at her funeral.
Vanessa O’Callaghan’s daughter Chelsea paid the moving tribute to her mother during her requiem mass on Tuesday.
“Vanessa may be gone but her spirit will live on through all of us, through laughter, through the funny stories, the memories she left us with, and let me tell you there are many stories,” Chelsea said.
“Mam always had an answer for everything and she was so good with her words. That was her gift to the world — her humour, her wit and her heart.
“Cork has lost a gem but heaven has truly gained an angel.”
Vanessa was assaulted on Sunday, December 1, while attending a volunteer-run street cafe or soup kitchen for the homeless on St Patrick’s Street in the city centre.
She was found unresponsive on the footpath a short time later, and volunteers rendered immediate first aid while the emergency services were alerted.
She was taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where she died three days later.
A Garda investigation into all the circumstances of the fatal assault is ongoing.
Vanessa, who previously lived on Coach Street in the Middle Parish, and Blackpool, had lived on the streets for several years and was battling addiction.
Predeceased by her father John, and by her brothers Keith, Shane and Jonathan, she is survived by her mother, Ellen, her three children, Chelsea, Jerry and Kyle, and her siblings, Linda, Marcella, Aisling, Claudia, Ian and Damian.
They led mourners at her funeral mass in St Peter and Paul’s Church on Paul Street.
In her eulogy, Chelsea, thanked the large congregation who attended the funeral.
“Your presence means more to us than words can express. It is a comfort to see so many familiar faces, friends, family and loved ones all gathered here to honour and celebrate the incredible woman my mother was.
“She was so full of life and she had a smile for everyone who crossed her path — whether it was North Main Street, Patrick Street, the Grand Parade, wherever you would see her she would always have a smile."
She said that Vanessa had "a special way of being everywhere," adding that you "couldn’t miss her, even if you wanted to".
“I am still in complete shock. I can’t believe she’s gone. It’s going to take me a long time to get used to not seeing her around, especially by the church.
“Since her passing I’ve been expecting to see her there, full of life, and ready with her warm smile. But the reality of her absence, it hits me over and over again."
She said her mother’s sudden death has left a hole in her heart that may never heal, saying: “The pain I am feeling right now is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I find it hard to find the right words to describe it.”
Chelsea added: “If I could talk to her one more time, there is one thing I would make sure she knows and that it was I loved her unconditionally.
“I hope she knew it but I wish I said it more and I wish I could say it to her now — mam, I love you so much and I always will.”
Floral tributes spelling out the words sister, mam and aunt, were placed at the altar.
The children draped the shroud over the coffin before Bishop emeritus John Buckley recited the opening prayer and expressed his condolences to the immediate family.
Celebrant Fr Marius O’Reilly, who knew Vanessa and who shared a slice of cake with her for her birthday last year, described her as “completely unique” and a “gift to the world”.
“There is no doubt about that. There was nobody ever like her, there will be nobody ever like her. She had something unique to contribute to this world that nobody else could,” he said.
He added: “I was lucky enough to know Vanessa myself. I think she had a soft spot for priests and we would always have great fun when we met.
“She had the most beautiful smile. She was great fun, very witty and you often never knew what was going to come out of her mouth. She always kept me on my toes.”
The family acknowledged the care given to Vanessa by the doctors at CUH, and they thanked the gardaí, and all those who came to her aid on the night she was assaulted.
Her funeral took place afterwards at St Catherine’s Cemetery in Kilcully.
Last week, Vanessa’s sister, Linda, described her as a ‘sunbeam’ and called for vacant buildings to be opened up to provide a safe space for the city’s most vulnerable, and for more gardaí to patrol on-street soup kitchens which she said should be “safe spaces”.