Woman whose father, son and brother died on dangerous road calls for route to be improved – The Irish Times

There are two stone markers on the old Dublin-Belfast road in Co Louth, opposite the Monasterboice Inn, also known as Donegan’s. Although the length of the road is a 60 km/h zone, few drivers slow down enough to notice it.

One of the signs commemorates Shane Whelan, 19, who was killed 11 years ago as he crossed the road from the Monasterboice Inn to his grandmother’s house.

On the other side of the road, less than 10 yards away, is the stone monument to his grandfather, Don McCullough, who was killed while crossing the same roadside on May 4, 1991. He died on his 51st birthday. The family drama doesn’t end there.

Down the road between the two points where these deaths occurred is the McCullough family home. In 1982, Séamus McCullough, then just 17 months old, was killed when he stepped out of the way of a milkman’s van.

“We are absolutely devastated by the three tragedies that have occurred in our family. Our lives will never be the same again,” said Bernie Whelan, Shane’s mother.

“We think about everything Shane and Dad (Don) have lost in our families. “They were a big part of the family and the local community.”

On October 27, 2013, Shane Whelan attended his uncle’s bachelor party at the Monasterboise Inn. When she was hit and killed by a car, she decided to leave her bags at her grandmother’s house.

His mother said Shane “loved life.” He was named junior player of the year at his local club Naomh Mairtin in 2012 and worked part-time at the Monasterboise Inn. He was studying sports and recreation at the Drogheda Institute of Further Education. His whole life was ahead of him.

The stone marker commemorating Shane was installed on the 10th anniversary of his death. He would now be 30 years old. The family will hold an anniversary service for him and hold a gathering at his home on Sunday.

The loss of her father, son and brother in road accidents made Ms. Whelan particularly mindful of the fragility of life and how bad decisions on the road devastate families.

The Whelan family later discovered that the roadside traffic lights had been closed for three years before Shane was murdered in 2013. In 2001, a couple who were due to leave for Australia the next day were murdered just meters from where Shane was found. dead.

Ms Whelan is currently campaigning for a range of measures that she believes will ensure there are no more deaths on the road.

Last year, flashing lights that indicate drivers entering a 60-kilometer-per-hour zone were disabled in a crash and were not replaced. On the other side of the road there are double traffic lights with an island in the middle. Drivers can speed past when one set of lights is green, but they are simultaneously red on the other side.

He believes it would be easy for a pedestrian to think that he or she can freely cross at either end of a crosswalk and walk directly into passing traffic.

Ms Whelan said she contacted Fianna Fáil general election candidate Louth Alison Comyn because she was fed up with the current situation. “This has been going on for a year and nothing is being done about it. This is another accident waiting to happen. “I don’t want other families to go through what we went through.”

Ms Comyn said she wanted the council to carry out an urgent inspection of the road and then implement any corrective measures that needed to be taken.