Fireman’s daughter accuses Ahern of insulting family

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern was accused yesterday of “insulting” the family of fireman Brian Murray who perished in the Bray factory blaze.

Mr Murray, 46, a father of 15, and Mark O’Shaughnessy, 26, both died after a roof collapsed while they were quenching the fire.

Signing a book of condolence on Thursday, Mr Ahern said a full-time service in Bray would not have prevented the deaths.

He said he doubted whether the outcome of the tragedy would have altered whether the men were full-time or not. Wicklow County Council’s chief fire officer James Dunphy agreed.

But Brian Murray’s daughter, Joanne, was highly critical of Mr Ahern’s comments yesterday.

“I don’t understand the Taoiseach. If he knew the full facts about Bray’s fire service, it wouldn’t have been a retained service, it would have been full-time.

“My dad spent months and months in argument... it all boiled down to one thing and that was money.”

Joanne said her father Brian was sometimes in the shower or in bed and would just run when he got beeped to attend fire scenes.

“It never really sprung to my mind that we would lose my dad,” Ms Murray told RTÉ.

“I just can’t understand the Taoiseach. He’s just insulted the family... before he says something, he should study it. He has the cheek I would say, to say if it was full-time, they would be dead,” she added, saying her

father would have survived if Bray’s fire service was full-time.

“He wouldn’t be dead because they would have had the (full- time) lads there and the appliances and everything they needed there to fight the fire from the outside. But they didn’t have that facility and my dad had to go in with young Mark to put that fire out and they didn’t come back out,” Ms Murray added.

Meanwhile, funeral arrangements were being finalised for the two firefighters yesterday.

Thousands are expected to attend services for both Bray men.

Mark O’Shaughnessy’s removal will take place today at the Queen of Peace church on Putland Road, Bray, at 4.30am. Only family flowers are being accepted and any donations can be made to a charity of choice. The burial will take place in Springfield cemetery after 10am mass on Monday. Mr Murray’s removal will take place at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, on Bray’s main street, at 6pm on Monday evening. His remains will be buried in Springfield cemetery after 11.30am mass on Tuesday.