The mother of Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe said she felt lost without him.
The 14-year-old’s body was recovered from a storm drain close to the M2 motorway in June, six days after he went missing.
His mother Fiona said she missed hugging him.
She said: “I have been completely lost because we did everything together.
“He could fit 25 hours into the day, he was just one of those children, but the amount of time we had together when he was not doing his sports or his music, I miss him so much, his hugs and his love.”
The PSNI said last year they believed Noah entered the drain in the Northwood Road area of north Belfast.
It is owned by the Department for Infrastructure. The schoolboy had cycled from his home in south Belfast.
His disappearance prompted a major search operation, with hundreds of people from across Belfast involved.
Mourners at his funeral heard how a tangible sense of shock and disbelief had gripped the community.
Noah’s school friends attended a prayer service at St Malachy’s College during the funeral.
After the funeral at St Patrick’s, his funeral cortege made its way to the school — a place where Noah “loved and was loved”, according to a statement on behalf of the family. Noah’s old schoolfriends formed a guard of honour.
I was able to bring Noah back to school and that meant so much to me
Advertisement
His mother recalled the silence and prayer during an interview with Virgin Media One’s Ireland AM with presenter Tommy Bowe, set to run on Tuesday morning.
She said: “I was able to bring Noah back to school and that meant so much to me.”
She said she was grateful for having been able to hug her son and tell him she loved him all the time.
“I was able to give him a hug as usual and tell him I loved him and I am so grateful for that because I never knew I was not going to see him again and to have that as our final thing gives me some comfort.”
