Parishes in shock following sudden death of much-loved teacher while on holiday

The Ratoath, Trim and Curraha communities are this week mourning the loss of much-loved teacher and mother-of-three Miriam Deering (nee Houlihan) who died after she was suddenly taken ill while on a skiing holiday in Austria with her family. Mrs Deering (44) was on holiday with her husband, Paul, and three young daughters when she took ill, suffering from a severe headache. She attended a doctor in the resort where she was staying but collapsed some time later and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Salzburg, but sadly passed away there on Friday. Originally from Limerick, Mrs Deering had been living in Meath for many years where she worked as a teacher. She moved to Ratoath when she married local farmer Paul Deering and the couple have three children: Jenny (5), Grace (3) and Evelyn (2). Tributes have been pouring in this week to Mrs Deering who was a very popular and dedicated teacher, both during her 14 years at St Mary"s NS in Trim and her latest post, in Curraha NS, where she had been teaching since last September. Both school principals have expressed their deep regret and sadness on her loss and described Mrs Deering as an outstanding teacher. Mrs Deering had just completed one term in St Andrew"s NS, Curraha, and, according to school principal Adrienne Darby, had already made an 'extraordinary impression' on the community. Ms Darby described Mrs Deering as an 'outstanding teacher and accomplished artist'. She said: 'Mrs Deering had been with us for one term and made an extraordinary impression on the community in Curraha. She was a dedicated teacher who is a huge loss to education. She was not only a colleague, but a treasured friend to all of us at St Andrew"s NS. She touched the lives of every child and teacher here in a way that will last forever. We will miss her love of life, her spirit of fun and above all her gift of friendship,' said Ms Darby. She added that Mrs Deering had two vocations in her life, one was motherhood and the other teaching. 'Both gave her great joy and she was also a devoted wife to her husband, Paul,' said Ms Darby. Trim Parish Priest, Fr Andy Farrell, has also paid tribute to Mrs Deering and said what had befallen her was an 'awful tragedy'. He described Mrs Deering as a 'wonderful teacher' and a 'very special person'. He also praised her great talent as an artist. 'When I was renovating the church in Trim in 1995, Miriam painted all the stations of the cross. She took all the stations to a shed in the convent and did a magnificent job repainting them. She also repainted the stations of the cross in Boardsmill Church the next year,' he recalled. Fr Farrell said the loss of Mrs Deering was the 'loss of a valuable talent as well as a lovely person'. Mrs Deering, then Miss Houlihan, taught at St Mary"s NS in Trim for 14 years from 1986 to 2000, where she was an extremely popular member of staff. School principal Cóilín O"Coighligh said Mrs Deering was a very talented lady, especially in the area of art and he described her as a 'born teacher'. He said she had great enthusiasm, zeal and commitment and 'was a perfectionist in a good sense, all for the good of the kids'. He added: 'There was nothing she wouldn"t have done for any child in her class. Brian McMahon wrote in 'The Master" that a good teacher is a good person teaching, and that is exactly what Miriam was. She left her mark on all our lives.' Mrs Deering is survived in addition to her husband and children by her mother, Dolores; father, Donie; sisters, Anne, Geraldine and Barbara; brothers, John and Donald; mother-in-law, father-in-law, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and other relatives. At the time of going to press, funeral arrangements had not yet been finalised.