The inquest into the death of North Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe is continuing, with evidence now being heard in court for the sixth day. Proceedings began recently with two new jurors being sworn in as the hearing resumed.
Testimony heard earlier in the week painted a detailed picture of the popular and exceptionally bright young man. Friends and teachers described Noah as an “exceptional student” who was looking forward to his future, known for being “very academic” and “perpetually inquisitive.”
Deidre McCusker, the current Principal of St Malachy’s College Belfast and former vice-principal, gave evidence, noting that Noah was a “popular student.” She confirmed that Noah’s mother, Fiona, had previously requested pastoral care, raising concerns that Noah’s motivation with school work had reduced and his “mood had not been as good” as usual—a situation Ms McCusker noted was not unusual for boys of that age during the lockdown period. Furthermore, his cello teacher, Andrew Nesbitt, mentioned that in the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Noah “wasn't his usual animated self.”
Close friend Jay Tierney described Noah as the “most intelligent human being I’ve ever met in my life,” calling him “eccentric but not in a bad way” and “unpredictable.” Mr Tierney detailed their close relationship, which included almost daily Skype calls during the Covid-19 lockdown, sometimes lasting up to eight hours. During this time, Noah, Jay, and another friend, Charlie, started a band called ‘Cabin Fever’.
Mr Tierney spoke about the day before Noah’s disappearance when they met for a walk to discuss a “very important” book, Jordan Peterson’s ‘12 Rules for Life’. Messages read to the inquest showed Noah apologising to Jay the night before for being “really up and down for the past few days,” explaining he was “just thinking about life,” and realised it had “taken a toll” on him. He added that their conversation had “helped me more than anything.”
While friends were open about discussing their mental health struggles, Mr Tierney stressed that Noah was “very excited for the future, very happy, very energetic.” He also noted that Noah had “a lot of love for his mother.” Mr Tierney suggested that Noah may not have been aware that plans they had to meet on the day of his disappearance had been cancelled due to the weather.