A competition has been created in memory of two young Derry boys who died along with their parents in a house fire in the city over 18 years ago.
Aaron McCauley (11) and his brother Ryan (8), along their parents Debbie and Jodie, died when their home at Glenowen was engulfed in a fire in November 1997.
The sole survivor of the blaze, which was caused by an overheated chip pan, was the couple’s four-year-old daughter Jade.
The deaths of four members of the one family was one of the worst tragedies to hit Derry in living memory.
Both boys (pictured) were pupils at St John’s Primary School at Bligh’s Lane in Creggan when they died.
The school has created an annual football tournament in their memory
Pupils from the primary seven and five classes at the school, the years which Aaron and Ryan were in when they died, took part in the competition which was held at Bishop’s Field pitches in Creggan.
The Primary 7 tournament was won by Spain (girls) and Poland (boys) who were presented with their medals and trophies by Lisa Hegarty and Gerard Crockett, on behalf of the families, and by Jordan Allan and Aaron Barry on behalf of Derry City Football Club.
The Primary 5 tournament was won by Hungary (girls) and Italy (boys).
They received their medals and trophies from Lauren Hegarty and Carleen Crockett on behalf of the families, and from Harry Monaghan and Lukas Schubert on behalf of Derry City.
A spokesperson for St John’s said the event was a fitting memorial to Aaron and Ryan.
“We would like to thank the staff at the Bishops field and Orlaith Meenan, Derry City`s Commercial Manager, for their help in organising the tournament,” said the spokesperson.
Speaking at the funeral of the family in St Mary’s Church in Creggan in 1997, Fr Stephen McLaughlin, spoke of devastation caused by tragedy.
He said: "There is something unreal about the sight of four coffins laid out in a church, especially when you know that this is a family, a mammy, a daddy and their two young boys.
"They were a young couple who lived for each other and their children, who worked hard to provide for them. Their two little boys were full of life and deeply cherished.
"We have all been shocked and saddened beyond comfort. The hundreds of people who have called to the wake houses and many more who didn't even know the family have been left speechless by the scale of this tragedy," he said.
Referring to the decision of the children's grandparents to donate Aaron's organs for surgical transplants, Fr McLaughlin said: "Hope also springs from this sad occasion in a very powerful way.
“A few children, who they are we may never know, will have been given a new lease of life because of the generous and compassionate decision of both families to donate vital organs."
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