Following the report in Slate Magazine that Phoebe Prince had been a bully before leaving Ireland to live in South Hadley, MA, the principal of Villiers Secondary School in Limerick has spoken out saying that he had "nothing negative" to say about the 15-year-old who committed suicide in January.

Phoebe Prince had been a resident of County Clare and attended the Limerick school before moving to South Hadley. She committed suicide in January of this year after a two month barrage of bullying. Six youths are now standing trial for driving her to take her own life.

This week Thomas Hardy, the principal at the Villiers school, said "We don't speak ill of the dead and I just feel it is a situation where the school is in an invidious position. Yes, we know this young lady, our hearts and sympathies are with her parents at this difficult time.

"It is a media circus and really for me to comment on it would be unfair," he said, while speaking to the Limerick Leader.

"Phoebe was a lovely young kid who was with us for a year and I have nothing negative to say about her. She moved on with her life and she moved to the States and what happened to her is a complete tragedy and everybody lost out - parents, family, schools. We have lots of nice memories of her."

Emily Bazelon, the editor of Slate Magazine, reported that Prince had been a bully herself, while attending the Limerick Villiers school during the 2008 to 2009 academic year. This was just before Phoebe's family made the move to the United States.