Ian Evans Reilly
It was with great sadness that we here at Ardnagrath heard of the untimely passing of one our pupils, Ian Evans Reilly. Brave Ian lost his battle with Cystic Fibrosis on Sunday, 6th February, when he passed away peacefully in Crumlin Hospital. Ian was just 15-years-old and had spent his life battling with the lung disease, but he bore his illness bravely. At his requiem mass, the celebrant summed this up by saying that "Ian lived life to the full, cramming in to his short life as much as he possibly could. He was an inspiration to us all."

Ian had a great ‘can do’ attitude that saw him don the colours of his favourite team Manchester United and play soccer. The son of Paddy and Caroline, Ian had three younger brothers Patrick, Oisin and Gearoid. The family now lives in Callaighstown, Ballymahon, having previously lived in Ashdale.

A well-known face locally, Ian touched the hearts of the nation when he featured on an RTÉ documentary 'Our Lady's'. In fact he was known to visit other sick children in the hospital when he was feeling well enough and shared a laugh and a joke with them. Ian was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when he was just nine-months-old and regularly suffered from infections such as pneumonia, sometimes within very short periods. As a young child he had received regular treatment at the Children's Ward in Portiuncula, but as he got older Ian needed more specialist care and became a patient at Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin. And while he touched the hearts of the nation, Ian also made an impression on the staff at Our Lady's, with one nurse giving up her lunch break one day to drive to Liffey Valley to get Ian a particular drink he wanted. A regular visitor to hospital and prone to various infections, Ian kept his spirits high and joined in with the activities of his friends whenever he was well enough to do so.

Ian was also a member of St Ciaran’s Junior Football Club and will always be remembered as someone who was respected and loved by his teammates, and liked nothing better than to be treated as an equal. Speaking about Ian’s involvement in the club in the last few years of his life Seamus McKenna from St Ciaran’s said: “Ian revelled in this opportunity and was so overjoyed at taking to the pitch for an official competitive game of soccer.”

Ian had been on a waiting list for a double lung transplant for a number of years and carried a beeper with him as he awaited the life saving operation but he hit many setbacks when he suffered infections and lost weight. He finally lost his battle with the debilitating illness on Sunday 6 February 2008.

Reflection read at Ian’s requiem mass

When tomorrow starts without me,
And I’m not there to see;
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me.

I wish so much you wouldn’t cry
The way you did today.
While thinking of the many things
We didn’t get to say.

I know how much you love me.
As much as I love you,
And each time you think of me,
I know you’ll miss me too.

But when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name
And look me by the hand.
And said my place was ready
In heaven far above
And that I’d have to leave behind
All those I dearly love.

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don’t think we’re far apart,
For every time you think of me,
I’m right here in your heart.