9/11 Galway victim Anne Marie McHugh's fiance thought 'she might skip work that day after not feeling well'

Nearly 3,000 people died and thousands more were injured when terrorists hijacked four planes on the morning of September 11 hitting into the Twin Towers in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia and a fourth plane intended for the US Capitol or the White House which was prevented by heroic passengers onboard during a fight back.

Anne Marie McHugh was one of those people who lost her life during the attacks attempting to leave the inferno from her 84th floor office building at the Second World Trade Centre.

The 35-year-old stockbroker had survived the 1993 bombings at the WTC when she walked 107 flights of stairs to safety - but on September 11, 2001, another targeted terrorism plot took her life far too soon.

Before working for EuroBrokers in the South Tower, Anne had worked as a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald in the North Tower for 12 years.

She had just begun her new job with EuroBrokers at the start of 2001 and was very happy with the career move and the job as a whole.

Anne was born in Manhattan, but her family moved back to Ireland when she was six-years-old.

She moved back to her birthplace when she was just 19 but regularly flew home to visit her parents Padraig and Margaret as often as she could.

Her parents opened her Remembrance Park with the help of Tuam County Council in 2003.

Anne Marie was due to be married with her fiance previously recalling her last few days before her untimely death.

She met Patrick Day in August 1999 with their wedding scheduled for 24 November 2001 in Italy, two months after she died.

She watched her beloved Galway losing to Tipperary in the All Ireland Hurling Final - she would sadly not live to see her county lift the Sam Maguire just a few weeks later.

Her fiance recalls how she did not feel well the night before the attacks and how he thought she might not work that day.

‘The alarm didn't go off that morning. I thought maybe she would skip work that day and we could have lunch and finish our wedding invitations,’ he said in an interview a year after her death.

But Anne went to work.

In a beautiful tribute to Anne, the memorial on the Twin Towers History Instagram says: “Anne loved socializing and meeting new people. She was quick to make friends wherever she went, and she was described to be a very dependable, warm, and compassionate friend.

“Some of her favorite interests included art, science fiction, and sports. She supported the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Yankees, and the Galway football teams in Ireland.”

“On September 11, 2001, Anne was working on the 84th floor of the South Tower, when Flight 175 struck the South Tower, leaving her floor within its impact zone.

“She was still inside the tower upon its collapse and sadly did not survive. Anne is dearly missed by her loved ones, but her love, passion, and spirit will live on forever in the hearts and memories of everyone who knew and loved her. She will never be forgotten.”

There will be a gathering at Anne Marie’s Memorial Garden at The Lane in Tuam on Friday to remember all those who lost their lives on 9/11 including the brave responders.

People are being asked to gather at 1:45pm for a minute’s silence at 2pm.