RIP Laura Buckley Noonan
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
It’s the second year in a row that a soccer tournament has been held in memory of Wassiou Ayawe. Pictured last summer are Alex Higgins and Jordan Ayawe - who was Wassiou’s brother and ‘best friend’
A soccer tournament is to be held in memory of a promising young soccer player to mark what would have been his 21st birthday.
For the second year in a row, Pike Rovers’ ground at Crossagalla in the city will be the venue for the Wassiou Ayawe memorial trophy.
This year, it kicks off at 1pm on Saturday, July 6 and is being organised by friends and family of the young man, who tragically died aged 19 years in a jet ski accident on Killaloe lake.
The tragedy occurred 12 months ago to the weekend, and Sandra Byrnes, who raised him as her son says she wants to keep organising the tournament every year to keep the talented soccer player’s memory alive.
“My main goal and focus is to keep Wassiou’s name remembered. Obviously those who love him will hold him in their hearts forever. But I want people to remember him for the talented soccer player he was. And I want that memory to live on. It’s something I hope to have the strength to do each year,” Sandra said.
READ ALSO: Shannon airport lodges plans for 5.5 acre solar farm
Once again, all proceeds from the day will go to Killaloe/Ballina Search and Recovery, the voluntary group who helped Wassiou’s family on that fateful day last year.
Sandra said: “If I raised €1,000 for them this year, I’d be happy as I know €1,000 can go a long way. Anything after that will be a bonus.”
Ten teams will compete for the trophy.
Personalised medals bearing Wassiou’s face will be produced, while Sandra has commissioned a special memento soccer ball which she will then place at the final resting place of Wassiou.
Sandra brought Wassiou into her life when he was only nine weeks old, and cared for him on-and-off throughout his upbringing.
His biological mother Tracey was previously a family friend.
“I remember him every day. He had an infectious personality,” Sandra said. “I go to bed thinking about him and I wake up thinking about him. He used to say to me, ‘I'm Gucci Sandra, I’m Gucci! So I want this day to be Gucci for him,” she smiled.
If you want to get involved or make a donation, please telephone Gareth Grant at 087-7087011.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
