Galway mother's emotional tribute to partner and kids killed in crash
Nurse Geraldine was also in the car on the night of the fatal tragedy
A Galway mother, who was the sole survivor in a crash that killed her partner and two children, is taking on an emotional journey in tribute to them.
Nurse Geraldine Mullan, who lives and works in Moville in Donegal but is from Williamstown originally, is climbing Vietnam’s highest peak to honour her husband John, 49 and two children Tomás, 14 and Amelia who was only six.
Geraldine was in the car on August 2020 when the family car plunged into Lough Foyle during a storm while driving along Quigley’s Point.
Geraldine had originally been due to undertake the charity trek in April, around what would have been Tomás’s 20th birthday, but the trip was postponed because of flight disruption linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
Now, she has finally set off for Vietnam with a group of 13 other Irish hikers, raising funds for Children in Crossfire.
Reflecting on the postponement, Geraldine said that while it had initially been disappointing, she now feels the delay may have happened for a reason.
She said she could almost hear her family telling her: “It came at the right time, my Galway girl - “Galway girl” was the affectionate name her late husband John called her.
Although she has made her home in Moville and says Donegal has “well and truly adopted” her, Galway remains an important part of her life.
She is even taking a special half-Galway, half-Donegal jersey with her, promising that somewhere in the hills of Vietnam, she will proudly represent both counties.
The trek comes just weeks after the sixth anniversary of the tragedy and during what Geraldine describes as one of the hardest periods of her grief journey.
John’s 56th birthday was also marked recently, while Amelia would have turned 13 on October 8.
Geraldine says grief does not simply disappear with the passing of time.
“You don't necessarily heal from it. You learn to live alongside it. You find ways to carry it,” she said.
For her, that means keeping her family’s memories alive, speaking their names and trying to live her life in a way she believes they would have wanted.
And that is what will drive her up Vietnam’s highest mountains.
She said there will undoubtedly be tears and moments of immense sadness, but Geraldine also expects laughter, friendship, singing, dancing and plenty of “craic” with her fellow Irish hikers.
The money raised will support Children in Crossfire’s projects in Tanzania, helping vulnerable children through improved healthcare, nutrition, education and protection.