Andy McMillanMy friend Lyra should have turned 36 today. She was murdered by the IRA while observing rioting in Derry in 2019, almost 7 years later those responsible still haven't faced justice.
I ran into her randomly walking down the Ormeau Road when I was last back in Belfast in 2017, a particularly difficult trip home, and she insisted we drop everything and go get coffee together. She was always scheming up something, and while I don't quite remember what we talked about, I vividly remember leaving with my mood completely reversed. She had such infectious energy; she genuinely believed she could do anything, and she believed it of her friends too.
I remember when she originally started showing up to our OpenCoffee meetups, then BarCamp, and then appearing almost daily at Core, the co-working space I was running. Candidly, I thought she was an absolute nightmare at first, she was spinning a million plates, and so young, until I quickly came to realize she was capable of all of it.
It was such a gift to know and love her. I do remember us parting outside Sinnamon on Botanic Avenue that afternoon, reaching down to give her a hug (she was tiny), and her telling me that she loved me and wanted me to come home again soon. I'm sorry I didn't again before she was gone. I miss her terribly.
I also don't think I've ever really talked about this with anyone and here I am just off the cuff posting about it.
Tim Brown
Jan Lehnardt 
@andymcmillan sending *hugs* </3
Paul Campbell@andymcmillan — Damn. I've only observed that story from a distance. It's closer and sadder now to hear you were friends. RIP, and newfound condolences to you. It's not fair for you to have to endure such a close loss when you've endured so much.
Andrew Gallagher@andymcmillan I didn’t know her, but I knew so many people who did that I felt her presence by proxy. I’m so sorry. ❤️