Memorial plaque to be installed at site of Limerick hit-and-run that killed Joe Drennan

The late Joe Drennan was killed in October 2023 while waiting for his bus to go home, after his shift in local restaurant, La Cucina.

A memorial looks set to be erected to remember Joe Drennan, who was tragically killed in a hit-and-run in Limerick.

The young journalism student was killed in October 2023 while waiting for his bus to go home, after his shift in local restaurant, La Cucina.

After being contacted by a family member of Joe Drennan, local councillor Catherine Slattery, raised funds totaling to €1,200. A plaque is set to be erected near the site where he died.

The idea of the lasting tribute has been welcomed by Joe’s friend, Ellie McCarthy, who has been asking for ‘Justice for Joe’ alongside his family and friends.

“It is both lovely and touching to see a plaque will be erected in Joe’s honour. I hope it serves as a reminder of the incredible person he was and the love he continues to spread even though he is gone,” Ms McCarthy told the Irish Examiner.

When he died, Ms McCarthy said she never wanted to go to the site, but now finds herself frequenting it regularly.

“It brought me sadness at first, and now it brings me joy. It’s not just the place where Joe died, it’s the last place where he was completely himself. Standing there, letting the world pass him by, listening to his favourite music and catching up with friends and family after he finished his shift. 

When I go there, I can feel his energy around me, and I will do even more so now since the plaque will be erected. 

"I would like to give a huge thank you to Catherine Slattery for organising this for my dear friend, ensuring that Joey’s memory and uniqueness lives on forever.”

Joe Drennan’s family and friends have been campaigning to change concurrent sentencing to stop it in case of deaths.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) lodged an appeal two weeks ago against a six-and-a-half year concurrent sentence imposed on Joe’s killer, on the grounds it was too lenient.

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The car which struck Joe Drennan was driven by Kieran Fogarty, a gangland criminal who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death.

At his sentencing hearing, Kieran Fogarty was jailed for eight years for a shooting at a house in April 2023. The sentencing judge, Colin Daly, initially told the hearing that he was sentencing Fogarty to an additional six-and-a-half years for the fatal hit-and-run.

But then the judge corrected himself and said the hit-and-run sentence would run concurrently to the other sentence, meaning Fogarty would not serve any extra jail time for killing the student.