Liverpool vigil held to highlight second anniversary of tragic Noah

THIS week marks the second anniversary of the discover of the body of young Noah Donohoe.

Noah (14) went missing in Belfast on Sunday June 21, 2020 whilst cycling to meet friends. However six days after his disappearance the body of the missing teen, whose family comes from Lisnafin, was found in a storm drain in the north of the city. Police stated there was no foul play involved. Since then the family have remained in the dark over the exact circumstances leading to Noah’s demise.

To mark this week’s tragic milestone a Strabane man, now living in Liverpool organised a special vigil in the city.

Austin (Austy) Callaghan, was one of the organisers of an event held on Monday where 104 balloons were released in Liverpool city centre, each balloon marking a week since Noah first went missing. The event took place the day before the two-year anniversary of Noah’s disappearance.

As Austin explained, “I organised the night along with Sonia Bassey and Sheila Coleman and all three of us felt that two years on, it was essential to do something to mark the passing of a remarkable young man and keep the awareness going that Fiona and her family have yet to receive any answers over what happened to Noah.

“It was Sonia who came up with the balloon idea, which was lovely and so, on the day before Noah’s anniversary, around 40 people turned up at the Cunard Building right on the docks and we had a small ceremony to release them after Sheila made a speech.

“The Liverpool Echo also sent along someone which was brilliant as things from back home, unless it’s a bomb or anything political, don’t tend to get much coverage in England and that’s a shame, so the Echo came and allow us to get the word out will undoubtedly help us raise more awareness to the cause.

“Not only that but we had people stop on the street, coming home from work or just out for a walk, to ask us what the vigil was about,” Austin explained.

“Liverpool is a bit of a haven for Strabane people, and we had a few heads from back home turn up to show support as well. Hopefully, this will give Fiona a wee bit of a boost, letting her know she’s always in our thoughts. We need to let her know that we are still in the fight with her to get answers and justice. The sooner it happens, the better.”

Asked if this will be a yearly thing, Austin says it’s a possibility, while adding that he has hopes it won’t be needed.

“I’ll have a chat with Sonia and Sheila going forward to see what else we can do as it’s so important to keep Noah’s case in the public conscious so answers can be sought. However, we all hope that Fiona and her family will get those answers sooner rather than later, so we don’t have to keep fighting.”