Plea issued to driver as cyclist is laid to rest

A priest speaking yesterday for the distraught family of a hit-and-run accident victim appealed to the driver to come forward.

Bicyclist Paud O’Leary, who was training for a charity cycle, died instantly on Sunday last after being knocked down on the Gneeveguilla to Killarney road, less than 2km from his Co Kerry home.

Fr John Kerin, chief concelebrant at the funeral Mass for Mr O’Leary, a father of four, described the incident as a terrible accident. He said: “The driver must also be suffering at this time.”

The tragedy involving the 42-year-old occurred between 7.30am and 10am.

Gardaí are seeking to interview the driver of a grey Toyota 4x4 which may have struck Mr O’Leary in the townland of Scrahan-fadda.

A large concourse of mourners yesterday bid a touching farewell to Mr O’Leary, in Gneeveguilla. Seven priests concelebrated Mass in the Church of the Holy Rosary before an overflow congregation, with hundreds of people standing in the rain outside.

Relays of men shouldered the coffin through the village to the church and members of several sporting organisations in which he was involved formed a guard of honour.

At the beginning of the Mass, Mr O’Leary’s widow Maggie said she was “very lucky” he had chosen her as his wife. They knew each other for 21 years, had a great relationship and he was totally devoted to his children, she said.

“He didn’t want to go, but he was shoved out of this world too soon. Paud’s attitude always was to ‘get on with it’ — that’s what we’re going to do,” she said to applause from the hushed congregation which rose to its feet.

Offertory gifts included a rugby ball, a football, and a framed photograph of a girls’ U14 football team which he trained. They were brought to the altar by his children, Shannon, Ross, Paudie, and Antoinette.

In his homily, Fr Kerin said Mr O’Leary was a “mighty strong man with a mighty big heart”.

“His every waking moment was occupied, whether it was working on the farm, in his job as a caretaker at the school in Rathmore or taking a family member wherever they wanted to go,” he said.

At the end of the homily, Fr Kerin said the O’Leary family had requested him to ask the driver involved to come forward.

Mr O’Leary had been training for the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle.