Tributes paid after tragic death of popular teenager

Editorial Department • Published 26 Aug 2010 16:00

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Young people from across Fermanagh have been paying tribute to one of their friends this week following his unexpected death at the age of just 17.

Chris Hanrahan from Kesh, had made friends through the many activities he had been involved in, either through school or socially in the activities he shared with his friends. His tragic passing has left young people stunned.

Chris was a pupil at Erne Integrated College where principal, Mr. Tom Noble spoke yesterday(Wednesday) of his loss to the school community which has left his teaching staff numbed and much heartbreak for his class colleagues.

“He was a Year 12 pupil and had got very good GCSE results and we were looking forward to welcoming him back to do his ‘A’ levels,” said Mr. Noble.

“He was very quiet, polite and courteous and he was well regarded by his teachers and peers. He had a very significant number of class friends.”

Mr. Noble spoke of Chris’s tremendous potential as one of their valuable students as he looked ahead to further studies. He also spoke of his many achievements. Just last October, Chris had shared in winning a cup at the College’s prize day for his achievements.

Another of his achievements included his selection for a trip to Canada two years ago.

Mr. Noble explained; “He took part two years ago in the Key Project, a series of residential sessions funded by Co-operation Ireland. 600 young people from north and south of Ireland took part and he was among them, taking part in personal development, leadership and problem solving. He was one of just six selected from those 600 to spend a month in Toronto doing similar activities. That was a measure of his potential.”

Mr. Noble went on, “As a school I shared the devastating news with staff colleagues this morning(Wednesday). And I know his friends are deeply shocked and the staff are devastated.

“I would like to share our condolences with all who knew and loved him. We will be putting in place bereavement counselling when the College opens on September 1.

Yesterday, as the tragic news of Chris’s death spread throughout Enniskillen, friends gathered for a quiet vigil and many of his friends he met at FUEL, based at Belmore Street, met to pay tribute to him.

Chris was also a popular participant on the networking site, Facebook, and tributes have been pouring in, many of his friends emotionally upset over the news.

The PSNI said that they were investigating the sudden death of a 17-year-old on behalf of the Coroner.

There were no details of his funeral at the time of going to Press.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 26 Aug 10

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