Priest urges local support for crash victims’ families

A priest has asked people who lost loved ones through road carnage to write to, telephone, and visit the families of two young men killed in a car crash in Co Donegal.

Shaun Graham, 19, and Matthew Crawford, 21, died when their hit a tree outside Rathmullan.

The two young Letterkenny men were killed instantly, while two other young men who were in the car are said to be in a serious but stable condition and are being treated at Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital.

Separately, a young man died in a single-vehicle crash in Co Meath yesterday.

The 22-year-old was killed when his car hit a wall on the R150 between Duleek and Julianstown at around 2.20am.

In Co Donegal, Fr Eamonn McLaughlin, who will celebrate the funeral Mass of Mr Graham today at St Eunan’s Cathedral, pleaded with people to support the two families of Mr Graham and Mr Crawford.

Mr Crawford will also be buried today following funeral Mass at the Church of the Irish Martyrs.

“I would encourage families who have been through tragedy of this sort to share their time, love and experience with these families now,” said Fr McLaughlin.

“Help them. Send them a letter, give them a call, pay them a visit in the weeks and months ahead.

“Let Shaun and Matthew speak to us all in our hearts and minds, especially to our young, and let us listen quietly.

“It’s heartbreaking. It’s horrifying. It’s frightening. The young are our future but we are seeing our future disappear before our very eyes.

“We need to get the message out that we cannot afford to lose any more young people.

“Young people — you are irreplaceable. You are not invincible. We need you. Look after each other.

“The life of everyone is a beautiful gift and treasure from the Lord. We are not machines, though. We are flesh and bone.

“On the whole, we have great cars and relatively good roads. But we are only human and we must take care of ourselves and each other.

“Please use our roads and our vehicles with care.”

Gardaí are still conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash, which saw the young men’s Honda Integra car hit a tree at Barr’s Cottage in Rathmullan, flipping it over onto its roof.

The men had earlier attended the Rathmullan Festival and were travelling to a house party when the accident happened.