Riverdance star had 'easy smile'

Eithne Walls, 28, was returning from holiday with two friends

A County Down doctor killed in the Air France plane crash has been described as an "an extraordinary person."

Father Michael Gourty was speaking at a memorial Mass for his niece, 28-year-old Eithne Walls, from Ballygowan.

The Riverdance star was among 216 passengers on the plane which went down en route from Rio to Paris.

Fr Gourty told hundreds of people at the service in Saintfield that her family would miss "her easy smile and her dancing feet".

People from the world of medicine, Trinity College Dublin and fellow cast members from the Riverdance show attended the Mass at Mary Mother of the Church in Saintfield.

Fr Gourty said that Eithne "flew into people's lives and after too short a time flew out again".

Hundreds attended the service at Mary Mother of the Church

"She was an extraordinary person who brought light to the lives of everyone she touched," he said.

"She was beautiful in every way, especially of spirit. We are privileged to have shared her short life.

"The countless memories will stay with us forever."

Dr Walls died along with her friends Aisling Butler, from Roscrea, County Tipperary, and Jane Deasy from Dublin.

The three women, who had all graduated in medicine from Trinity College Dublin in 2007, were returning from holiday.

Dr Walls, who worked in the Dublin Eye and Ear Hospital, was also a talented Irish dancer.

She had spent a year with Riverdance on Broadway, New York, before going on to university.