{"id":521199,"date":"2026-06-27T12:41:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T12:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/521199\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T12:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T12:41:17","slug":"school-pay-heartfelt-tribute-to-bubbly-teen-who-died-just-weeks-after-completing-her-leaving-cert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/521199\/","title":{"rendered":"School pay heartfelt tribute to &#8216;bubbly&#8217; teen who died just weeks after completing her Leaving Cert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 18-year-old has been remembered as &#8220;a loyal, caring friend&#8221; who was &#8220;absolutely adored her family&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>05:00, 27 Jun 2026Updated 08:28, 27 Jun 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Alisha Dillon\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0_Alisha_Dillon_Roche_ca62ab7f5339a169bcbcc2d20c2d72b6fcfb4ea2340d02c5jpeg.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Alisha Dillon\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Alisha Dillon<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A secondary school in <a aria-label=\"Co DublinLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/all-about\/dublin\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Co Dublin<\/a> has led tributes to a teenager with &#8220;a kind heart and huge creative talents&#8221; who sadly passed away just weeks after completing her <a aria-label=\"Leaving Cert examinationsLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/all-about\/leaving-certificate\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Leaving Cert examinations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Alisha Dillon, 18, from Darndale in north Dublin, passed away &#8220;unexpectedly surrounded by her loving family and in the wonderful care of staff at Beaumont Hospital&#8221; on Sunday, June 21, according to her death notice shared on RIP.ie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The teenager has been remembered as the &#8220;bubbly, caring, kind hearted and cherished daughter of Ashling and Dermot, treasured and much loved sister of Adam and Amber, adored granddaughter of Anto (Masher), loving and devoted girlfriend of Daragh&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Alisha will be forever missed and always remembered with love by her mam, dad, brother sister, grandad, boyfriend, aunts uncles, cousins, extended family, friends and neighbours,&#8221; the notice adds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Alisha was a student at Mercy College Coolock and had just finished sitting her Leaving Cert exams earlier this month. The school has shared a heartfelt tribute to the teenager on social media following her sudden death.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Alisha had recently completed her Leaving Cert examinations at Mercy College Coolock\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/727321561_18120726898773011_3614529479610402784_n.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Alisha had recently completed her Leaving Cert examinations at Mercy College Coolock\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Alisha had recently completed her Leaving Cert examinations at Mercy College Coolock<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the sudden passing of Alisha Dillon from our Leaving Certificate Class of 2026,&#8221; a spokesperson for the school said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Alisha had a kind heart, huge creative talents and a beautiful smile. She was a loyal, caring friend and absolutely adored her family. We were so proud to see her sit the Leaving Cert and to see her grow into the wonderful young woman she had become.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;We extend our heartfelt sympathies to her family and friends at this time of immeasurable grief.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;May Alisha\u2019s gentle soul rest in peace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">School administrators announced that Mercy College would open on Tuesday to allow students and staff to remember Alisha and to come together in mutual support, while a book of condolence has been opened in the prayer room.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">One of Alisha&#8217;s former teacher also shared a heartfelt tribute to the teenager, writing: &#8220;My deepest condolences to Aishling, Dermot, Adam, Amber, Daragh and all Alisha\u2019s family and friends. I am so sorry for your loss. I&#8217;m in shock. Alisha was in my form class and my guidance group. She was such a lovely young person, so polite and respectful and always so appreciative of help. She is a huge loss. May she rest in peace.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/649753700_935167009218390_4438727781273536803_n.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Alisha's funeral mass will be held at the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, Darndale on Monday\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Alisha&#8217;s funeral mass will be held at the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, Darndale on Monday<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Alisha attended Our Lady Immaculate Junior National School in Darndale, with a former teacher remembering her as &#8221; kind and talented child&#8221; in a moving tribute shared online.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Ashling, Adam, Amber and Dermot, I am so so sorry to hear of the sudden passing of Alisha,&#8221; they said. &#8220;I had the absolute pleasure of teaching her in Junior and Senior Infants in OLI JNS. She was such a beautiful, kind and talented child. May her gentle soul fly high with the angels.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Alisha worked in JD Sports, with a coworker saying &#8220;she had the kindest heart and always made the people around her laugh,&#8221; and that &#8220;she will be sorely missed by us all.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Alisa will lie in repose at Jennings Funeral Home, Oscar Traynor Road, Coolock on Saturday from 12-2pm. Removal on Monday morning to the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, Darndale arriving for Funeral Mass at 11am followed by burial in Balgriffin Cemetery Ext.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: <a aria-label=\"Sign up hereLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/newsletter-preference-centre\/?view=Solus&amp;mailingListId=39e53cb8-b266-4e33-8d00-e9f7a38f420c&amp;utm_source=solusarticle\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 18-year-old has been remembered as &#8220;a loyal, caring friend&#8221; who was &#8220;absolutely adored her family&#8221; 05:00, 27&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":521200,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[615,61,60,3184,43,30817],"class_list":["post-521199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-dublin","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-leaving-certificate","tag-news","tag-tributes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=521199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/521200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=521199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=521199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=521199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}