The principal of St Michael’s College, Tim Kelleher, has told of how a number of representatives of the school’s parents’ association have flown to the Greek island of Ios to provide support and assistance for the remaining students.
Counselling services and psychological support will also be provided at the school this week, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
“We’re a very tight community.”
Tom McCormack, of the school’s past pupils union said that the events of the weekend had been a double tragedy for the school.
“Our thoughts are with the families and the boys of the class of 2023 who were celebrating what should be their next step in their careers.
"It was a devastating day. We've been heartened by the huge volume of messages of support from government ministers, councillors, senators and other schools.
"Our sister school, St Mary's eight years ago suffered the Berkeley tragedy. And we are now experiencing our darkest day and our sincere thanks to everybody who has come through primarily on social media over the last 24 hours when news of Andrew's body first broke and then a few hours later we heard that Max had passed away in hospital.”
Mr Kelleher said that the school would open this week to offer support and that a book of condolences had opened.
“We are heartbroken. There's a very tight-knit community and these are two fantastic young men with their lives ahead of them. Bright, sporting, academic who, as I say, had their whole lives ahead of them.
"They had been looking forward to this for months on end. And the planning had been ongoing not just in our school, but outside of school. So I think there are hundreds and hundreds of families who have been plunged into deep, deep sadness because of what has occurred.
“It is exactly the nightmare that every parent dreads, group holidays, where you just don't want to get that call to say your child is missing. We are devastated for them and our hearts are broken, and our sympathy goes to them all.”
Mr Kelleher said that he expected the other boys who were on the group holiday to return within the next 48 hours and that the school would be their community and provide support for the coming days and weeks. “We’ll be there to help and support.”
The principal described Andrew, who had just turned 18 a few weeks ago, as “a fantastic young man, a great sportsman, a fantastic footballer”, he had played rugby with the Bective club in his younger years.
"He was academically bright, and the world was his oyster. He had plans to go to college and had a very bright future."
"Max was a very bright young man, also a fantastic sportsman and a really bright academic young man, full of optimism and hope for the future. It was tragic that their futures had been taken from them," said Mr Kelleher.
The principal said the class of 2023 had been a very tight-knit group of young men, and it had been a pleasure to deal with them over their six years.
"They had all bonded and had almost a family structure so their friends were very traumatised by what had happened. “They just want to come home to their families, to their school, to their community. And that's what we're here for. We're here to work in the moment to help and support those boys in every way we can."
Mr McCormack said that the school’s great sense of community included past pupils and the past pupils union had been set up to provide support where they could through different crises.
"This tragedy had now befallen them and while they were devastated they would provide support where they could," he said.
