Fiona pender remembered at concert

Josephine Pender said her daughter Fiona would have been honoured to hear that a song was dedicated to her at a recital in Tullamore on Wednesday.

A choir from Fiona’s former primary school, St Philomena’s NS in Tullamore, was one of a number of choirs performing at the Church of the Assumption in Tullamore where The Poet Sings by Randall Stroope was dedicated to Fiona.

Fiona Pender was seven and a half months pregnant when she disappeared from her flat on Church Street in Tullamore in August 1996. Gardai suspect the 25-year-old hairdresser and part-time model was murdered.

Her mother Josephine attended the recital on Wednesday. She said the choirs, which included groups from Durrow and Killeigh, were brilliant. “They sang 18 songs, they were absolutely brilliant,” Josephine said.

“When it came to The Poet Sings they said that they wanted to dedicate it to Fiona. She was in the choir in fourth, fifth and sixth class in St Philomena’s,” Josephine explained.

Josephine said Fiona was very artistic and was a good singer. She enjoyed the rendition of The Poet Sings, “it is very sort of haunting to listen to it but it’s nice,” she remarked. 'It was a great honour and Fiona would be really proud,' she added.

Josephine said the Principal of St Philomena’s had suggested dedicating the song because it reminded her of Fiona. “She remembers when she was a child and her skipping up and down the stairs,” explained Josephine.

While she is heartened by the support and good wishes of the community, Josephine admitted Fiona’s disappearance “has taken an awful toll” and her health is poor. “I am in and out of the hospital,” she remarked.

She has resisted getting too hopeful when new leads or lines of enquiry emerge. However, when the search began at woodland in Co Laois last December she said it, “raised my hopes.” Unfortunately those hopes were dashed and Josephine said “it was devastating.”  

She is planning some small improvements at the monument to Fiona on the Grand Canal in Tullamore. “I’m getting brickwork done around the monument, like a little remembrance garden,” she said. She would also like to get a bench at the location.