The family of a 15-year-old girl who died while swimming near Howth, in north Dublin, last weekend have said their “hearts are broken into a million pieces”. The body of Abbie Carmody-Pepper, from Ballymun, was recovered following a search of Burrow Beach, Sutton, shortly after 6pm on Sunday. Her older brother Aaron told her funeral Mass on Friday that he was “so proud” of his younger sister, who had “tried to save her friend”. Hundreds gathered for the Mass at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Ballymun, including Abbie’s parents Mandy and Wayne, brothers Leon, Aaron and Warren, grandfather Charlie, relatives and friends. In messages compiled by the family and read out by Aaron , Abbie’s mother said: “Thank you for every moment you gave these last 15 years. I will miss everything about you, but I know you’ve gone home to be with the other angels. We will miss you forever.”Her father Wayne said it was “a privilege” to be her dad and that he used to “look forward to seeing her beautiful face in the morning”. Her older brother Leon said life was “never going to the same again” without her, his “one and only baby sister”. “Our hearts are broken into a million pieces, and we will stay strong for you until we meet again,” he added. Abbie Carmody-Pepper. Photograph: RIP.ie Her brother Warren said his sister always had a smile on her face, “no matter what day, no matter what weather, no matter what you were doing”. “I’ll never forget that beautiful smile. I love you,” he said. Aaron recalled memories of his sister at Christmas, playing with toys and walking home from school with their mother. Above all, though, he said, when he thought of his sister: “I think of that little girl that tried to save her friend in the end …I love you so much and I’m so proud of you. I’m going to miss you.” Parish priest Fr John Dunphy said death is never easy to cope with, but “the sudden, tragic and untimely death of someone so young is devastating for Abbie’s family and friends”. “Life is so precious but also life is so vulnerable,” he said. “Today we surround Abbie’s family with love and care, helping them to know that they are cared for in this community of Ballymun.” [ Teenage girl who died while swimming in Dublin is namedOpens in new window ]Fr Dunphy added that Abbie had lived her life within the love of her parents, brothers, wider family and friends. “She knew that she was loved and lived securely in that love,” he said. Offertory gifts included lip gloss, a handbag, hair straightener, eyelash curler, mobile phone and sweets. The funeral Mass was followed by burial at Dardistown Cemetery.