FAMILY STATEMENT:TYRONE FOOTBALL manager Mickey Harte yesterday spoke of his grief at the death of his "wonderful" daughter Michaela in what he described as the "worst of the worst" circumstances.
In a statement, Mr Harte, speaking on behalf of his wife Marian and sons Matthew, Mark and Michael, also thanked people for their support.
“We are devastated but heartened by the support we have got throughout the community, throughout the GAA community, throughout the wider community in the North, throughout Ireland and across the water,” he said.
“We are grateful for that. Thank God for great people.
“Michaela was a lovely girl, a wonderful daughter, a brilliant sister for these boys and we will always treasure her. She was a beautiful girl. She couldn’t be better, couldn’t be nicer. God love her, we are so, so sorry.
“We are equally sorry for poor John, her husband, whom she adored. He adored her. They did not get so long to share their lives with each other. It is such a shame. Our hearts are broken.
“A lot of people have had this experience before. We have tried to empathise with them, but you can’t get the feeling unless you have been there.
“And God save anybody having to go to this place. But we thank God for the people who are there, the support that is there and the prayers that are there. We know they are coming in thick and fast and it is so good at this time. We need that.
“And we need the bit of privacy now. This is how we feel.”
Recalling her wedding day at the church near the family home in Ballymacilroy on December 30th, he said: “She was just radiant, a beautiful girl and I just love her to bits. So did her whole family. We are so devastated.
“The McAreavey family are so special to us too. There is a special bond. John is a special lad. You have to be special if you’re going to be Michaela’s husband.
“John is out in Mauritius. He is isolated out there. It has been an awful time. Our hearts go out to him and I would ask everyone to please respect his privacy.”
Emphasising the point, he said: “Please lay off. We are speaking on his behalf. We are devastated. Through us, he wants us to say to leave him alone. He is in such a lonely place and even his own family members are not out there yet.
“This is the worst nightmare that anyone can imagine. If you think things can be bad, then you go beyond that because that is where we are. This is too horrible to contemplate. We are just all devastated. It is the worst of the worst and our hearts are broken.”