'Heartbreak' after Donegal All-Ireland winner James McHugh killed in crash
Tributes have been paid to Donegal All-Ireland winner James McHugh, who was killed in a crash in Co Cavan.
Tributes have been paid to Donegal All-Ireland winner James McHugh, who was killed in a crash in Co Cavan.
Mr McHugh, 62, was killed when a car and a van collided on the N3 at Drummallaght, between Virginia and Cavan, shortly before 2pm on Monday.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, and his body was removed to Cavan General Hospital.
His wife, Noreen, was seriously injured and airlifted to Beaumont Hospital for treatment.
Mr McHugh was part of Donegal's 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship-winning team and played senior inter-county football 59 times for Donegal between 1990 and 1998.
A Kilcar native, Mr McHugh won an All Star in 1992, two Ulster championships, in 1990 and 1992, as well as a Railway Cup with Ulster in 1994.
He was man of the match in the 1990 provincial final win over Donegal.
A brother of football star Martin McHugh, Mr McHugh was called into the Donegal panel in 1988, but it wasn’t until 1990, under the management of Brian McEniff, that he made his debut.
Mr McHugh’s son Eoin was part of the Donegal All-Ireland-winning panel during the 2010s, along with his nephews Mark, the current Westmeath senior football manager, and Ryan.
The McHughs also have a daughter, Emma.
Mr McHugh was a long-serving ESB employee and worked with ESB Networks.
Donegal TD Pearse Doherty said news of his passing was “heartbreaking".
"James gave so much to Donegal GAA and will be remembered with great pride and affection across the county and beyond. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam," Mr Doherty said.
The chairperson of Donegal GAA Mary Coughlan said there was a dark cloud over Donegal with the passing of James McHugh.
“People in Donegal are heartbroken to have heard about this tragedy. I would have known the McHughs for many years in football and politics and just locally,” she told RTÉ radio’s .
“James came from a small rural club that produced fantastic footballers.
“But James will be remembered, first of all, as a family man, as a Killcar man, and then as a Donegal hero.”
Ms Coughlan described Mr McHugh as a quiet, modest man whom she had known since she was 11 years of age.
Donegal was a close-knit community where everybody knew everybody “so, we were just heartbroken to hear of such a tragedy.”
The McHugh family had been the backbone of Donegal's success and of Donegal football and an inspiration to a lot of the young people who are coming up now through the ranks, she added.
Meanwhile RTÉ’s GAA correspondent Marty Morrissey, a long time friend of James McHugh, has spoken of his shock at hearing the news of his death.
“This is a shock. It's a terrible blow. We're all in a state of shock this morning,” he told the radio programme.
Mr Morrissey described Mr McHugh as “football royalty”, a term, he acknowledged, the former footballer would not have liked.
“The nation mourns today and sympathises and empathises with the McHugh family. And James, an absolute gentleman, a humble man, you'd never think, when you'd meet him, that he won an All-Ireland medal, that he was part of that wonderful Donegal team, that he leaves a legacy.
“Every time I spoke to James, whether it be on the phone or in person, it always went back to the community and the parish and the people (of Donegal).
“He was part of that culture. And I remember when he'd speak, he'd say to me, ‘you know, us Donegal lads, we're very cultured. You Clare lads need to learn a few cupla focal’. And he'd give me a Donegal phrase.
“So, you know, I'm very proud to be friends of the McHugh family, and they've supported me in the past.”
The driver of the van, a man aged in his 50s, was taken to Cavan General Hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Gardaí are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision or who was travelling on the N3 between Virginia and Cavan, particularly between 1pm and 2pm on Monday, to come forward.
Gardaí are particularly appealing to motorists who may have dashcam or other camera footage of the area during this time to make the footage available to investigating gardaí.
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