After completing my Leaving Certificate in 1995, I left Ireland for the summer bound for Heidelberg, Germany where I would spend the next three to four months working as a 'putzfrau' or cleaning lady in a private hospital. I was 18 years of age.

Like many kids my age, the plan was to break away after the confines of school life and the stress of the biggest exam I had taken to date. Heidelberg was, and I presume, still is a beautiful city in South West Germany famous for its schluz or castle and the fact that it has, or had, the longest pedestrianised shopping thoroughfare in Europe.

My best friend and I, along with two other girls, rented a room in an old lady's apartment that was just off the main street and travelled to work every day by foot and tram. We spent the evenings exploring Heidelberg, shopping or just hanging out.

While I enjoyed the working holiday, and would return the following summer, what I remember most about the trip is being desperately homesick. I had never been away from home before.

So, when news of Manuela Riedo's tragic murder broke in October 2007, it struck a chord. Like me and countless other kids around our age, she had come to a foreign country, primarily to learn a new language, but with the hope of adventure, and meeting new and interesting people. I hoped my newfound independence would prepare me for college life; she hoped it would ascertain if she was cut out for her hoped career as a tour guide.

Contrary to my parents' often voiced worst fears, I never felt unsafe or threatened in Heidelberg and the summer passed without incident. I returned safely to the nest. Manuela was not so lucky in the home county I left.

In an unprecedented move on Saturday, the judge presiding in the case of Gerald Barry for the murder of Manuela Riedo said that he hoped her parents could forgive the Irish nation for the grave injustice they have suffered.

As demonstrated by their extraordinary character during the trial, the Riedos probably will be able to forgive the Irish nation for this terrible crime against their daughter. However, it is unlikely that we will be able to forgive ourselves for not being able to protect her while she was in our care. We certainly will not be able to forget.

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