Grace O'Malley-Kumar, one of the victims of the recent Nottingham attacks, came from a high-profile family of Irish doctors.
Grace's mother is Sinead O'Malley, an Irish-born, London-based consultant anesthetist, and her grandfather is Professor Kevin O'Malley.
The 19-year-old was also studying to go into the medical profession at the University of Nottingham, when she was murdered.
Professor O'Malley is also an anaesthetist as well as a former registrar and chief executive of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
He subsequently moved to the Middle East to help establish the RCSI’s college in Bahrain, where he was its founding president and still holds an emeritus position.
Grace’s family said she was “an adored daughter and sister” to her brother James.
“Grace was not just a sister to James but his best friend. He is completely heartbroken. As parents, words cannot explain our complete and utter devastation. She will be so dearly missed,” said the family.
Grace was also a talented field hockey player and played for England at under-16 and under-18 level as well as playing for her local club, Southgate Hockey Club.
Barnaby and Grace were among three people murdered in Nottingham in a series of violent attacks on Tuesday morning.
Ian Coates, a 51-year-old school caretaker, was also stabbed to death in a second incident, while another man and woman were injured by a suspect who drove a van at a bus stop.
A 31-year-old man was arrested nearby by Nottingham police, who are being assisted in their investigation by UK counter intelligence officers, who are examining if terrorism was a motive.
Grace's father, Sanjoy Kumar, is also a doctor at a medical practice in Essex, while on her mother’s side in Ireland, there are doctors going back three generations.
Sinead O’Malley’s great-aunt, Sarah Joyce O’Malley, was the first Irish head of the Association of Anaesthetists in the 1930s.
Grace’s mother Sinead O’Malley, who is believed to have also studied at the RCSI in Dublin where her father worked, has been consultant anaesthetist at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
In a statement released through Nottingham police, her family said they were “so incredibly proud of Grace’s achievements and what a truly lovely person she was”.
“She was resilient and wise beyond her years. Grace was so happy in life, fulfilling her ambition of studying to become a doctor whilst playing topflight hockey at university.
"She leaves behind devastated extended family and friends,” they said.
