Most weeks I sit down to write this column with a clear idea of what the subject matter will be.
On Sunday morning the ongoing Brexit delays appeared to be shaping up to set the news agenda.
And while I will no doubt return to that at some stage when I walked into the Irish News office on Monday morning it was events in Cookstown that took over this sad and tragic week.
You don’t need to be a parent or grandparent to feel the tug on your heart when reading the details of the terrible tragedy at the Greenvale Hotel on St Patrick’s Day.
But if you have raised teenagers, you’ll know that constant stress of worrying that they are safe and well and fulfilling their true potential, being all that they can be.
Club nights such as the one those hundreds of young people planned to attend are nothing new.
While they were dances to the older generation, discos to those living their formative years in the 70s and 80s and raves to the teenagers of the 90s and noughties, the premise is the same.
And so even if it’s been a while, we all still remember the excitement of the big weekend night out.
The victims of the Greenvale Hotel tragedy:
- Morgan Barnard's father describes the family's devastation
- Connor Currie was 'much loved'
- Lauren Bullock remembered as 'a shining light'
The difficult job of planning an outfit - one that hasn’t been seen before - sourcing a much sought-after ticket, convincing parents or older siblings to fund the trip, or gathering together a few quid earned from a Saturday job in preparation.
Constant calls back and forward to see who is wearing what, who fancies who, and what transport will be used to and from the venue.
I thought back this week to wearing my sister’s heels - a size too big – like Bambi on ice, having told my mum I was going to a ceili, when I was really queuing up outside Tulips nightclub, face plastered in make up trying to appear older, an admission that will give my true age away to many readers.
Fast forward to my own teenagers and the lying awake, constantly checking the phone, not able to sleep until you hear that click of the front door as they return home from a night out.
Forgoing the Saturday night glass of wine in case one of them rings at stupid o’clock with a story of missed taxis and lost purses looking an emergency pick up.
The relief of a peaceful slumber knowing that they are safe and well and tucked up in bed, albeit with a self-inflicted headache waiting for them the following morning.
The few occasions I’d complain to my own mother about what one of mine had got up to at the weekend, she’d tell me it was God paying me back for turning her hair grey during my own teenage years.
While my children were practically saints in comparison to the horror that I was in adolescence, I can imagine having the same conversation with them when their own children reach the age of wanting to stretch out and experience those formative teenage years.
And so, this week, this dark and terrible week, my thoughts have been constantly with the families of Lauren Bullock (17), Morgan Barnard (17) and 16-year-old Connor Currie.
Lauren, a pupil at St Patrick's College in Dungannon, was described by principal Catherine McHugh as a "shining light".
A member of the school's Pope John Paul faith team and Rosary prayer group, she was also a leading member of the Euphoria Allstar Cheerleading team.
Sure, you’ve only to read those few lines to know that parenting that young woman would have been a gift.
Morgan and Connor attended St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon.
The school described Morgan as “ambitious, charismatic with an abundance of potential'' and Connor as “a kind-hearted, loyal friend”.
Two lads with so much to look forward to, their pictures, now familiar to us all, so full of joyous personality.
You can imagine the excitement of those young people as they headed to Cookstown, no school the following day, dressed in green, ready to dance and flirt and laugh the night away.
The front-page headline of the Irish News on Tuesday morning was just one word - ‘Disbelief’ - reflecting the stunned grief of a community, of the entire country.
All else seems insignificant in comparison.
My heart hurts for their loved ones, I cannot begin to comprehend how they’ll cope, but I do hope the collective embrace of the nation is at least of some comfort to them in these dark days.
We cannot predict the outcome of the police investigation, but those young lives are so precious that lessons must be learned to prevent anything like this ever happening again.
My thoughts are with the family and friends of Lauren, Morgan and Connor. May their memories and pride in having known them give them strength in the coming days, weeks and months.
