SAN FRANCISCO Rose Amanda Donohoe says she is "eternally grateful" for the kindness shown to her family by the Irish public following the death of her sister and cousin in the Berkeley balcony collapse in 2015.
Ms Donohoe lost her sister Ashley and cousin Olivia Burke in the tragedy two years ago, which altogether claimed the lives of five Irish J-1 visa students as well as Irish American Ms Donohoe's sibling.
The five others who died were Irish students Eoghan Culligan, Niccolai Schuster, Lorcán Miller and Eimear Walsh.
Speaking to the stage on the first televised date of Rose of Tralee 2017, 20-year-old Ms Donohoe told host Dáithí Ó Se that the deaths of her loved ones marked the "darkest moment" of her life.
She revealed that "everyone was so kind" to her family when she visited Ireland soon after the incident and that she is "eternally grateful" for it.
"We needed a few days out of Dublin away from the craziness and we actually drove down to Kerry," Ms Donohoe said.
"But on our way there we stopped in Adare and there was this women who recognised us from the news and said 'We need to show you something'.
"She did it very quietly and very privately – there was this book of condolences from people all across the country, including people who weren't Irish, who were visiting, addressed to us with an outpouring of love and respect.
"It just shows the strength of everyone in this room and everyone across the globe and how much the Irish community cares about each other."
