Residents react after death of Irish bullying victim

Phoebe Prince

The suicide of tormented Irish teenager Phoebe Prince has prompted hundreds of angry parents and concerned residents to demand that more is done to battle school bullying in the wake of the January 14 tragedy.

Those gathered at the meeting, which took place in the auditorium of South Hadley High, the school at the center of the story, heard claims from parents of bullying victims that harassment and even the physical assault of school children was “nothing new” and that school administrators had failed in the lead up to the tragedy.

Friends described the 15-year-old as a beautiful and smart girl who had been tormented by jealous fellow students because of a crush she had on a boy at the school. Authorities are investigating what part the vicious harassment at school, by text message and on social networking site Facebook, played in her suicide.

Prince, who was born in Bedford, England on November 24, 1994 and moved to Ireland at age two, had recently enrolled at the school after moving to the area, just north of Chicopee, MA, in the fall to be near family.

According to a family obituary, she was “gifted with a sharp and creative brain” and she “enjoyed life with the energy that only the young possess.”

Memorial services were held on January 18 in South Hadley and her body was flown back to Ireland for burial in County Clare last week.

Prince leaves behind her parents Anne O’Brien Prince and Jeremy Prince, sisters Lauren, Tessa and Bridget, and brother Simon. A memorial scholarship has been created in Phoebe's name. Donations can be sent to the Phoebe Prince Scholarship Fund at Peoples Bank, 494 Newton Street, South Hadley, MA 01075.