The Late Darren Murphy The nine year old city boy who tragically lost his life in a drowning accident in Tramore is to be honoured in the coming months by the city GAA Club with whom he was a dedicated and talented underage player. Roanmore GAA Club has vowed to find a way to honour the memory of young Darren Murphy who was described as a giver in life and someone who had a "mesmerising effect" on all who knew him. "I thank God for the time I spent with Darren," his former coach Tom Martin told the hundreds of mourners who packed St. Pauls Church for the Requiem Mass before Darren was laid to rest in St. Otteran's Cemetery, Ballinaneeshagh. "People sometimes pass through this world unnoticed and are quickly forgotten, Not Darren." "He has left an abiding legacy, he's an example of how even a young 9 year old can get it right and people in Roanmore and Larchville will never forget him". The 9 year old who was a popular third class pupil at St. Paul's Primary School, was swimming in Tramore on Saturday evening with his father Willie and brothers Keith and Eric when tragedy struck. It was a regular outing for the family and Darren was having one last swin before he went home. He got in difficulties and was spotted by another swimmer at 6pm lying face down in the water. Efforts to revive him failed. Darren was the youngest child of Willie and Marie Dunphy of 46 Larchville and has a sister, Sabrina, as well as two brothers. In addition to his first passion hurling club officials at Roanmore said he had a bright future on the Waterford hurling scene- he played soccer with both St. Paul's and his school where both his teachers and friends are shocked by this untimely death. At the funeral service and again at the Requiem Mass celebrated by Fr. Richard O'Halloran CC St Paul's, Darren's U9 teammates from Roanmore GAA Club formed a guard of honour. Only in recent weeks, Darren was among them taking part in Roanmore club initiative to promote hurling in different parts of Waterford city. Two of his young cousins said prayers at the Mass while Tom Martin, who was Darren's coach, recalled his memories of his "little hero"; special boy who brought "great joy" to all he came in contact with. He said that in the coming months the club would find some small way of honouring Darren's memory, such was the contribution he made to the club and indeed everything else he was involved in. He said his own particular fond memory of Darren was of dropping him home one evening and stopping at the Amber filling station on the Paddy Browne's Road. He gave both his own son Thomas, also an U-9 player, and Darren €2 each to spend in the shop. His son Thomas came out with a bottle of coke, crisps and sweets while Darren came back with a packet of crisps and handed Tom the change. "That epitomises the kind of boy Darren was," his devasted coach told the congregation. "He was a giver - to his parents, his siblings, to Roanmore, St Paul's, his school, his friends ... to everyone he met." Courtesy of the Waterford News 19th August 2005 Tweet

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