Family of Ellen Cassidy who died shortly after taking part in last year's Cork city marathon
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What led to Ellen Cassidy's participation in the Cork City Marathon?
A year ago this Sunday, 24-year-old Ellen Cassidy was excitedly getting ready at the start line of the Cork City Marathon, taking on the half-marathon distance. She video called her parents, Tom and Violet, who were at an anniversary mass for Tom's mother in Listowel, and along with thousands of others, began the half-marathon route just after 10am. Tragically, she would never finish, and this Sunday, her family and friends are honouring her in a special way. Brian O'Connell met Tom and Violet Cassidy at their home for their first broadcast interview. Brian, good morning to you. Tell us firstly about Ellen and about her family.
Well, Tom and Violet Cassidy lived just outside Cork City off the old Mallow Road and Ellen was the eldest of three. She graduated from UCC in BIS, Business Information Systems, and she'd really just begun her professional career with PWC in Dublin. Everyone who came into her orbit loved Ellen. She was positive, she was patient, she'd gathered a huge circle of friends and she was very much in love with her boyfriend, Rob. She was also a superb swimmer. She competed in the European Junior Championships. She represented Ireland internationally. She organised the InterVarsities and having completed her first marathon in Milan last April and despite having a sore ankle, at the last minute she got an entry for the half marathon in Cork the night before and she decided to run it.
The day of the marathon, we had gone to Lestol to be with my brother and his wife and their family. So on the morning, we rang her at about 8.30am and we FaceTimed her.
Here she was sitting on the island in the kitchen, having her breakfast. And off she went to the marathon. And I must say, when we were FaceTiming her, a few things came through my mind. I just thought Ellen looked absolutely stunning that morning. Like, she looked something special.
So we went back to my brother's house, Simon, and we were just sitting down to start breakfast. And I got my mobile phone rang, and it was a number I didn't recognise, presuming it was Ellen and that her phone battery had died. And I picked it up and it was Rob's mum to say, Vi, Ellen has collapsed at the marathon and it's serious. And I thought, oh God, I'm presuming it was her ankle. I said, I know it's her ankle. It was poor. You know, it's been poor. It's been at her. And she said, and where are you? And I said, we're in Lestol. And she said, you need to come straight away. So the family just said, go. And we, Tom and myself, got into the car and were leaving Lestol. And the phone rang again 15 minutes later.
What were Ellen Cassidy's personal achievements and qualities?
And it was Rob's mum again and said, where are you now? And I said, we're only 15 minutes to 16 minutes out of Lestol. And she said, why, it's critical. And I said, oh, my God. You know, the panic started to set in. And, you know, when you hear that, you think, you know, this is not good news. And arrived to the back door of CUH to be greeted by probably the emergency consultant and a liaison nurse and brought us into the room. But we knew at that stage she was gone. You know, we knew, you know, when you're looking at these people standing, waiting for you and other people standing in the corridor, I have no idea who. And I said, we just want to be with her. We just want to see her. And they brought us into the resuscitation area.
And Ellen was lying there with a blanket or something over her. really difficult to think that we'd only spoken with her at half eight that morning and she was full of the joys of life and full of her beauty and her fun and her joy that she brought to so many people, so many of her friends going out just on that Sunday morning to do something she loved and to think that less than four hours later she's gone from this world.
Oh, that's so shocking for the family to have to come to terms with Brian and a huge blow too to her many, many friends in Cork and beyond.
Well, she had a very wide and loyal circle of friends. I mean, her parents told me one story that on the Friday before the marathon, Ellen had gone to see one of her close friends, Emma Graduate.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What led to Ellen Cassidy's participation in the Cork City Marathon?
0:00–2:35
2
What were Ellen Cassidy's personal achievements and qualities?
2:35–6:25
3
How did Ellen's family react to the news of her collapse during the marathon?
6:25–9:55
4
What was the immediate aftermath of Ellen's tragic incident?
9:55–14:36