""The whole community is talking about what happened and everyone's devastated. I drove by the site and there's so many flowers. Just to be here is comforting. "When I saw the balloons being released, I just thought it was a really special way to pay tribute to the little boy - but it's so sad. It feels like a memorial for a child that we never knew and this was a family we never knew. That's the surreal thing about it all.""
""Donabate and Portrane are a fairly tight knit community and people look out for each other. "That's the sad part, because it's so long since he died. But we're here to pay tribute to Daniel and that's a testimony to the community. This is usually the spot where we gather. Hopefully the little fella is now up there with the angels.""
Hundreds of residents gathered on a green in Donabate, north Co Dublin, to mourn baby Daniel, who had lived nearby before his death around four years ago. The child's remains were found on wasteland earlier in the week, and gardai are investigating. Villagers released balloons to Westlife's You Raise Me Up and blew bubbles; several people wept. Many left flowers at the site. Locals described Donabate and Portrane as tight-knit and expressed deep sadness that the child had no public memorial until now. Rev Augustine Fokchet led a prayer, asking for blessing for Daniel, his family and the community.
Read at Irish Independent
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