CROWDS of people visited the beautiful ‘Field of Hope’ over the weekend to remember a father and his two children on their second anniversary.
John (49) Tomás (14) and six-year-old Amelia Mullan lost their lives near Quigley’s Point on August 20, 2020 when the family’s car slipped into Lough Foyle in the way home from a day out.
Geraldine Mullan, an oncology nurse, survived the traged, and in the two years since has dedicated her time to honouring the memory of her husband and children.
She has planted two and a half acres of sunflowers and created a maze which spells the word ‘Hope’, near the site of the tragedy.
“Plant a seed and see what grows, my darling John used to say,” said Geraldine.
“We planted a field of sunflowers in their memory and have called it our Field of Hope. Sunflowers were my little girl Amelia’s favourite flower and I have precious memories of all four of us doing our lockdown project in summer 2020 planting them for the Redcastle Sunflower Festival.
“This year, now renamed the Mullan Hope Centre Sunflower Festival, we planted two and a half acres of sunflowers and within the field we created a maze that spells the word Hope.”
The field was open to the public on Saturday and yesterday. Entry was free, donations were gratefully received..
Those who visited enjoyed walking the maze and admiring the majestic sunflowers soared towards the sky.
“They too could remember a loved one and leave with a sense of hope in their heart with their sunflower to remember their trail,” said Geraldine.
All proceeds go to the Mullan Hope Centre which aims to serve the community.
See https://www.gofundme.com/f/mullan-hope-centre-inishowen-field-of-hope for more information.
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