My heart has been broken since I received word that my friend Bianca Ní Ghrógáin passed away. It was was just one short year ago we met for the first time. Catherine, Pam, Mary, Helen and I had had planned a lunch when I arrived in Galway for the summer. Pam emailed and said Bianca would be in town too, would anyone mind if she joined? Of course we didn’t – and there was the beginning of a fast friendship. Our band of #ITWomen continuing to grow stronger. We all left that lunch with a tremendous sense of energy and hope in our hearts.
It has been an honour to know Bianca. Like many of my #edchatie family, we instantly connected as if we had known each other for well beyond 351 days – not even a full calendar year. Bianca came back to Galway a few weeks after this picture to attend the #GREAT14 conference put on by our students, continuing to make connections, share her expertise for Making and education in general. Our connections continued on twitter over the past year – and we were looking forward to seeing each other again this summer.
There is a large void in all of our hearts – do a quick google search or search on twitter, to start to scratch the surface of Bianca’s impact on this world. Read her blog: http://rangbianca.com/. Listen to her being interviewed by a student to see how much she loved teaching. Listen to her recently being interviewed on Dublin City FM.
This sadness and loss is quite surreal right now. I am forever grateful for the time we had together and my heart truly aches for a life and a friend lost incredibly too soon.