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Denis “Buller” Haughney ]
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This article previously appeared in The
Carlow People Tuesday May 31 2011
A fateful journey that would
end in a desperate tragedy
ON SUNDAY
morning, May 27, 1951 eleven happy football followers left Carlow town
in a Comer van destined for Mullingar to cheer on their county against
Longford in the Leinster senior football championship.
The fateful
journey which took place 60 years ago last weekend was to end in
tragedy with five of the party meeting their death when on the homeward
trail the station wagon was in collision with a Dodge car near
Kneadsbridge (Lynch's Bridge), seven miles outside Mullingar.
Carlow was
plunged into mourning when news of the tragedy reached the town on
Sunday evening. On Monday, Fair Day, the atmosphere in the crowded town
was charged with sorrow and sympathy for the stricken families, parents
and relatives.
Those who
lost their lives were:
 HANNAH
HOGAN,
daughter of Mr. & Mrs. James Hogan, 87 St Killian's Crescent, Carlow, the youngest victim of the tragedy, just 19,
and an employee of Carlow Cinemas Ltd, shop assistant in the Ritz bar.
She was killed instantly. Chief mourners are; James Hogan
(father), Mrs M. Hogan (mother), Florrie Hogan (sister), John, Michael
and Jas Hogan (brothers), Mr. M. Hayden (grandfather), Mrs Bridget
Hayden (grandmother), Michael & Thomas Hayden, Richard, Patrick and
William Hogan and Michael O’Hara (uncles), Mrs F. O’Hara, Miss. Mollie
Hogan and Mrs William Hogan (aunts). |
| |
 THOMAS
HADE,
6 Granby Row, was aged 36 years and was employed at J. J. Wall's Garage as
a motor mechanic. He was married with four children. He was killed
instantly. |
| |
|
GEORGE
SMITH,
Dublin Road, was a native of Dublin and had only come to Carlow a few
months previously. Managing the news agency business of Robert Whelan he
was married with three children. He was killed instantly. |
| |
|
EDWARD
MOORE,
Staplestown Road, died some hours after the accident. Aged 37 years he
was an employee of Messrs Governey's Boot Factory. A past pupil of the
Christian Brothers School, Carlow, he was a quite decent man popular
with his neighbours and friends, Chief mourners are; Mrs. W. Moore
(mother), Mrs. Josephine Galbally and Mrs. A. Erritty (sisters).
|
| |
|
 JOSEPH
EGERTON,
3 Charlotte Street, died shortly after admission to hospital. He was
Yard Foreman at the Sugar Factory.
A widower, he leaves five children. With him in the van at the time of the accident
were his daughter Maura and his son Richard, both of whom were seriously
injured. Joseph Egerton had a long record of service to Ireland and his
fellow workers. In 1923 he joined the National Army.
|
Survivors
Those who
survived the horrific crash were Maura Egerton and
Richard Egerton,
Charlotte Street, whose father Joseph was among the dead, Patrick Whelan
(44), Dublin Road, a brother-in-law of George Smith's,
Ned Pinckney
(23), Dublin Road, Thomas McKechnie (25) 32 Tullow Street,
Jack Bergin
(63), Chain Lodge, Palatine and Moorestown, Ducketts Grove.
The Crash
The Comer
van, driven by George Smith, left Mullingar to return to Carlow shortly
before 8pm. About this time the seven-piece Jack Frazier
dance band from
Dublin were on their way by car, with instruments, to play at the
opening dance of Mullingar Carnival.
At
Kneadsbridge, just after the van had crossed the bridge and on a
straight stretch of road, both vehicles were involved in a head-on
collision. In a few moments men and a girl were dead. The horrible
suddenness of the tragedy added to the gloom which its announcement
spread over the area.
One of the
first on the scene was Mr John Lynch, whose daughter is proprietoress of
a licensed premises at Kneadsbridge. Mr Lynch rendered assistance and
his car was used in the emergency.
Carlow
Number Plates
Other Carlow
parties leaving Mullingar met ambulances taking the injured to the local
County Hospital but it was not until they saw the Carlow number plate on
the van that they realised anyone from Carlow was involved. The van was
still upright but was badly smashed. The front wheels, the radiator and
the engine were completely wrecked. The car seemed to take the impact on
the front on the drivers' side.
Mick
Jones
Mick Jones,
who was playing at centre half back that, recalls "we were narrowly
beaten by Louth in Croke Park in 1950, a point from a free in broken
time did the damage so there were high hopes for '51, we were beaten by
Longford in a replay but that was completely over-shadowed by the
'Mullingar Crash'
"We came on
the scene, I was travelling with Jimma Rea, who wasn't playing that day
for some reason and the Doherty, the reporter from the local paper. It
was dreadful, the bodies by then were laid out in the field and while I
didn't know them personally, Jimma did and it was very upsetting for
him."
Miracle
Escape
The driver,
Larry Moore, South Circular Road, Dublin, appears to have had a miraculous
escape when his car was wrecked. He got out through a window in the
back, and collapsed immediately afterwards. His injuries were not
serious. Three passengers from the car were detained in hospital:
Jack
Frazer (40) 23 Wellington Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin; Edward Browne (46),
18 Warrenmount Place, South Circular Road (pianist), John Madden (40)
353 Crumlin Road, Dublin.
Four
passengers of the car were discharged after treatment - Joseph O'Connor
(27), 43 South Richmond St, Dublin; Harry Coats (50), South Circular
Road, Dublin; Thomas King (30), Upper Mount Street; Larry Moore, South Circular
Road, Dublin.
Heavy
Traffic
The road on
which the accident occurred bore heavy traffic that evening, and
immediately after the crash other motorists were on the scene. One of
them drove on to Mullingar to report to the Gardai and to arrange for
aid for the injured. Others stopped and rendered what help they could
until the ambulances arrived to take the victims to the hospital. Later
they were conveyed there in two ambulances and in a number of private
cars.
Saw
Sister after 25 Years
Joseph
Egerton was a native of the Mullingar district and had visited his
sister Mrs Doran of Patrick Street, Mullingar whom he saw for the first
time in 25 years after the match. His brother Thomas lived in The Downs,
Mullingar.
Engaged
To Be Married
Hannah
Hogan, who sadly lost her life, was engaged to be married to
Thomas McKechnie who was among the injured.
Eye-Witness
An
eye-witness who saw the scene after the collision described the state of
the vehicles. The front of both were badly damaged, and he could not see
the steering wheel of one. The three bodies were lying to one side of
the front of the van and car.
Inquest
of Identification
An inquest
was opened and adjourned at Mullingar Courthouse on Monday by Mr J
.J.
Macken, Solicitor, and a jury. The stricken relatives who made the journey
that morning from Carlow gave evidence of identification.
Widow's
Evidence
Mrs
Kathleen Smith,
widow of George Smith, identified her husband's body and said that she
last saw him alive at 1pm on Sunday, when he left for Mullingar in his
van to attend a football match. Her brother Patrick Whelan and
Thomas Hade were in the van at that time.
Thomas
Hade,
Pollerton Road, Carlow, identified the body of his son Thomas, wrhom he
last saw on Friday.
James
Hogan,
a Mineral Water employee, said he last saw his daughter
Hanna, at 12.30
on Sunday. She was going to Mullingar.
William
Egerton,
who is also an employee in Carlow Beet Factory, said his father, Joseph,
stated on Saturday night that he was going in Whelan's car to the match
in Mullingar.
Cornelius
Farrell,
14 Church St., Graiguecullen, Co. Carlow, identified the body of
Edward
Moore whom he last saw alive on Friday. It was stated that Edward Moore
had no relatives.
Medical
Evidence
Dr P. J. Keelan, Surgeon, County Hospital Mullingar, gave detailed medical
evidence as to the cause of death. The coroner paid tribute to the
Medical Officers and staff of the County Hospital for the manner in
which they dealt with the emergency.
Mr Macken
said that this was the worst tragedy he had ever come across. It had
cast a shadow over the entire area, He could not picture anything worse
than what had happened. He had gone to the scene of the accident on the
previous night and afterwards went to the hospital. He could not let the
occasion pass without thanking
Dr Keelan and asking him to convey his
(Mr Macken's) appreciation of the work that had been done there by the
medical and nursing staff as well as the Nuns. He desired to convey to
the relatives his deepest sympathy in this tragedy. Words could not
convey his sympathy.
Mr F. J.
Lanigan
Mr F. J. Lanigan, Solr, Carlow, on behalf of all the relatives, thanked
Mr Macken
and the other speakers for their sympathetic remarks. He knew these
expressions carried with them the sympathy of the people of Mullingar.
Funeral
The public
gave full expression to it's grief on Monday night when thousands lined
the Athy Road to meet the funeral cortege when the bodies of
Miss Hogan,
Joseph Egerton, Thomas Hade and Edward Moore were brought to the
Cathedral of the Assumption from Mullingar.
Hundreds of
people were waiting beyond the Sugar Factory to meet the hearses and by
the time the cortege turned into College Street about five thousand
sympathisers were in the densely packed throng. On Tuesday morning all
business was suspended when a Special Requiem Mass for the victims was
celebrated by Very Rev D. B. Kennedy, Adm, at 11 a.m. in the Cathedral.
There were moving scenes as the four hearses, followed by several
thousand people on foot left for St Mary's Cemetery.
George
Smith's remains were interred in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, on the
Wednesday.
SIX decades
later the 'Mullingar Crash' and its aftermath remains one of the darkest
episodes in county's history.
Source: Carlow
People Tuesday May 31 2011
[
INDEX ]
[
Denis “Buller” Haughney ]
© 2001 County Carlow IGPTM
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