Agreement reached on Fiona Pender memorial

The Pender family, the Fiona Pender campaign committee and Tullamore Town Council have come to an agreement on how to best remember Fiona Pender.

A monument and bench are to be erected adjacent to the Grand Canal at Puttaghaun, and a looped canal walk is to be called 'Fiona's Way'.

Councillors at a meeting of Tullamore Town Council last night (Tuesday) unanimously passed the proposal.

Tullamore town clerk Martin Daly explained that the monument will be sphere shaped and will be provided by the Fiona Pender campaign committee.

Tullamore Town Council will supply a mount for the monument and will clean up the area it will be erected in.

A looped walk to be named 'Fiona's Way' will run from the Convent Road to the Digby Bridge in Cappincur and back to Tullamore as far as the Whitehall Bridge before returning to its starting point.

Speaking about the proposal, which still needs approval from Waterways Ireland, councillors praised the work done by all parties involved.

'It's after being a long couple of months,' Sinn Fein's Brendan Killeavy said, adding that current plans are 'a lovely gesture for Fiona Pender'.

Fianna Fail's Tony McCormack described the plans as 'a satisfying outcome for everybody', while Fine Gael's Molly Buckley said what's proposed will 'certainly remember Fiona'.

Fianna Fail's Sinead Dooley said that while nothing will take away the heartache of the disappearance of Fiona and her unborn baby, she hopes this monument and walk will give some solace.

A gig takes place in Fergie's Bar on Market Square on Friday night to raise funds for the monument.