Daughter of Tipperary midwife speaks of family pain at not spending Christmas together

Moving tributes were paid at a Vigil Mass held in Clonmel to remember the life of the mother of four, Grace Benyin, whose body was discovered near the Holy Year Cross before Christmas.

On Saturday night last, family, friends, and colleagues from Tipperary University Hospital gathered to remember the life and legacy of Grace Benyin at Ss Peter & Paul’s Church in Clonmel. From the altar, her daughter Tracey described Grace as her “best friend and role model who always had words to lift my spirit”.

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Tracey said Grace was a devoted mother who loved God with her whole heart.

She said her mother was a hard-working woman who achieved her dream through dedication and perseverance when she travelled to Ireland in August 2023 and started work at Tipperary University Hospital.

“We never got to celebrate our first Christmas together in Ireland. Even in this pain, we believe she is in heaven, loving us and guiding us. I promise you we will make you proud. Your faith continues to guide us,” said Tracey, who spoke on behalf of the family that attended the ceremony.

Frederick, the husband of Grace, heard the acting Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Richie Molloy tell the congregation that the entire community of Clonmel extended their sympathies to the bereaved family.

Cllr Molloy told the family that the community of Clonmel was there to support them in these difficult times.
It was well-known, he said, the esteem in which Grace was held by the staff and the people she cared for at Tipperary University Hospital.

“Grace has been in our community for two years now, and you joined her last February,” he told the family.
He said Clonmel was fortunate to have great people like Grace coming from all over the world to work in Tipperary University Hospital. He told the family that the ceremony was a measure of the love and respect Grace was held in by the people of Clonmel.

Fr Godfrey welcomed people to the Vigil Mass on behalf of the priests of the parish.
He welcomed the family of Grace and told them that everybody was united with them in their grief and the people in the church for the ceremony wanted to remember her existence with great honour.
“The candles we light are a symbol of solidarity with you,” he told the family.

Tracey Awaya, one of the organisers of the Vigil Mass told the people at the ceremony that their presence spoke volumes of the love and solidarity people had for Grace and her family.
She thanked people for travelling from far and wide to attend the ceremony.

Tracey thanked the rescue services who attended to the scene when Grace was found. She also thanked the people who took part in the searches during the period when Grace was missing and the whole community for their support since Grace was found.

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Tracey thanked the gardaí and all of the emergency services for their role.
She also welcomed colleagues of Grace from the maternity unit in Clonmel.
It reminded everybody, she said, of the lives Grace touched profoundly as part of her work as a midwife at Tipperary University Hospital. Tracey read out statements from the altar from the nursing staff in the maternity unit in the hospital and also from the Ghana Union Ireland.

The statement from the maternity unit said Grace was a wonderful midwife who touched countless families at a vulnerable time in their lives by bringing new life into the world.

The nurses said Grace would be remembered for her kindness, dignity, and respect. She also read out a statement from the Ghana Union Ireland who expressed their condolences to the family of Grace and said that the organisation shared in the grief of her family, her work colleagues and all who were touched by her throughout her life.