BY MICHAEL BRESLIN
The grand-daughter of a Belcoo couple, is among the 228 passengers aboard the Air France Airbus which mysteriously disappeared on Monday over the Atlantic on its flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
Dr Eithne Walls is the daughter of Ray and Mary Walls, from Ballygowan, County Down, and is the grand-daughter of John and Mary McGourty who live at Rusheen.
Dr Walls is the sister of Kathryn, Gerard and Raymond. She is a niece of Tony McGourty, Rusheen, Belcoo and Fr Michael McGourty, a Parish Priest in Irvinestown. She was training in an eye and ear hospital in Dublin to become an eye surgeon.
The reason for the plane's disappearance is still unknown, and the fact that there was no Mayday call sent out has added to the confusion. There was turbulence and lightning in the plane's flightpath around the time, but a former pilot of a similar type of aircraft has ruled out both as a possibility.
Evan Cullen, the President of the Irish Pilots Association, said 'an attack of some sort' was an option, but this was speculation. He preferred to await the recovery of the two 'black box' recorders.
Dr. Walls was with three female friends, aged between 26-29, all doctors based in Dublin who were returning from a holiday in Brazil. It is believed that she was due to have been met at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris by her mother.
A talented Irish dancer, Dr Walls danced in 'Riverdance' and had performed on Broadway before beginning six years of medical studies at Trinity College Dublin.
And, while still a medical student, she continued dancing as a member of 'Riverdance's' flying squad, performing in China, Quatar, Germany and France, and participating as a full-time member in 'Riverdance's' 2004 Summer run at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.
As the search for the plane continued yesterday, hope of finding survivors faded with every passing minute, with tributes to her, including from Dr Walls' own family, speaking of her in the past tense.
Eithne's family's statement read as follows:
'It is with the heaviest and with the saddest of hearts that the Walls family confirm the loss of their dearest daughter and sister Eithne. Eithne was an extraordinary person who brought light into the lives of everyone she touched. She was beautiful in every way especially of spirit.
'She had a passion for life that permeated, enlivened and enriched those around her. We feel privileged to have shared her too short life and the countless memories of her will stay with us forever.
'She had many hopes for her life and was looking forward to the exciting journey to fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming an eye surgeon.
'At university she made many lifelong friends with who she shared the trials and tribulations of university life and, on her last holiday, we know she was delighted to have be reunited with so many of them.
Her friends will, we hope, remember their time together with fondness and joy despite its tragic end.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of her dearest friends, Jane (Deasy, Dublin) and Aisling (Butler, Roscrea, Tipperary) who are suffering the same inconsolable loss.
'Many people have known Eithne through Irish dancing, a passion she had continued throughout her studies and into her professional life. We have been overwhelmed by the messages of support from so many family and friends from our community and throughout the world. Your thoughts and prayers give us comfort at this most devastating of times.
'Eithne, we will miss your easy smile. We will miss your loving embrace. We will miss your happy, Hello and we will miss your dancing feet. We will miss your silliness, your wit and your hugs.
We will always hold you in our hearts and you are never truly gone.'
The known facts of Flight AF 477 are clear enough. The plane departed from Rio at 10pm GMT on Sunday night and was due to land at Paris Airport at 9.10 on Monday morning. At 1.33am on Monday, the last radar contact was received. At that point, the plane was 217 miles from the Brazilian coast and well over the Atlantic.
At 2 am, the crew reported they were crossing through, 'a thunderous zone with strong turbulence'. At 2.14 an automateed message was received indicating an electrical malfunctionm on board. No Mayday message was received, and at 7.15am on Monday, Air France drew up plans to establish a crisis centre. At 9.35, 25 minutes after it was due to land, Paris Airport officials announced that AF 447 was missing.
Early speculation that the aircraft had been downed by a lightning strike and/or turbulence was dismissed by Mr Cullen, the President of the Irish Pilots Association.
He said that he had flown a similar type of aircraft on the North Atlantic and, despite the fact it had been hit by lightning a number of times, it had coped extremely well.
"It was uncomfortable for the passengers and crew, but that's all. I have seen these aircraft assembled in the factory in Toulouse and the standard of aircraft is second to none in the world. The probability that turbulence or lightning did this to that aircraft in such a short space of time is to me highly improbable."
Asked about the possibility of an attack, Mr Cullen accepted there were a number of situations which would give rise to that. However, it was very speculative and he did not want to go down that road.
"It is not appropriate at this stage. We must wait till all the facts are gathered. I would feel it is in a very short time that the two flight data recorders will be recovered. They have their own separate transmitter beacons and I would be very confident that the emergency services have already locked into them.
"But, I will say this: it is just highly, highly improbable that severe turbulence and lightning took down this aircraft so rapidly with no Mayday call sent out. That seems improbable to me."
Mr Cullen was then asked if the depth of the Ocean would hinder the recovery of the 'black box' recorders, equipment that would indicate the aircraft final movements.
He said not, that the beacons attached to them were designed to operate automatically in a catastrophe: "There are a number of such beacons throughout this aircraft and I would be very confident that these flight recorders can be recovered very quickly."
Dr Walls first showed glimpses of her artistic talent as a talented student at Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch.
Its vice principal, Bernie Devlin described her as, 'a very academic girl' who was committed to studying medicine and engaged fully in the extra-curricular life of the school.
"She was a talented musician who played cello in the school orchestra and played in the Belfast School of Music. She was also a great Irish dancer and seemed to have spent her evenings perfecting her talent in that field. It certainly paid off."
