July a 'particularly difficult' month for Irish repatriation charity after 33 deaths

A charity that brings the bodies of Irish people who die abroad home to their families has said July was a “particularly difficult” month.

“Last month in July was particularly difficult because we took 33 people home just last month,” Colin Bell toldThe charity was born out of tragedy when, 10 years ago, the Bell family received a devastating call that would change their lives forever.“We’re from Newry in County Down and we’d be a very well-known family in Newry through sport and drama and all sorts of things and the fact that we had seven children under six [at one point],” Mr Bell said.

“About a week after Kevin’s funeral, we learned of the death of a young fella from Belfast who had died in Thailand,” Mr Bell said.“The following week, there was a young fella from Sligo killed in Las Vegas - we saw it in the paper - and again we reached out to the family.“So, then we decided that we’d make this Kevin’s legacy and we applied for charity status in Northern Ireland here, then we applied for the charity regulator down South.

To some, constantly dealing with other bereaved families might seem like a difficult thing to do - but that is not how Mr Bell sees it.

Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Ruesha Littlejohn becomes third Irish player this month to join London CityThe 33-year-old midfielder follows in the footsteps of Niamh Farrelly and Grace Moloney.
Source: The42_ie - 🏆 5. / 86 Read more »

Natural Born Beauty: Your 6-Step Summer Wellness Ritual, With Irish Skin And Bodycare StarsVOYA’s luxurious and restorative self-care makes winding down a treat. Discover everything you need to know about this Irish beauty brand
Source: TheGlossMag - 🏆 9. / 68 Read more »

Women, white Irish and those living in Dublin overrepresented in Arts Council funding awards, research showsNew figures show people with disabilities are under represented and Irish Traveller or black Irish men are most likely to be classified as ineligible for funding
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Only two days left for Irish Telly Bingo player to claim whopping €27,505 prizeThe winning ticket was purchased in May
Source: IrishMirror - 🏆 4. / 98 Read more »

The Irish Times view on TG4′s autumn launch: an example for RTÉ to followThe TV channel has demonstrated how clarity of purpose can yield startling results from meagre resources
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

The Irish Times view on Budget 2024: the Government needs to focus its effortsMinister needs to realise that the impact of the cost-of-living crisis could last for a few years - and act accordingly
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »