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Former underage county hurler among three latest road victims in Donegal

Kaylem O'Murchaidh (19), mother-of-one Teresa Robinson (20) and Steven McCafferty-McGrath (18) were involved in a head-on crash at Drumkeen on Thursday morning
Kaylem O'Murchaidh (19), mother-of-one Teresa Robinson (20) and Steven McCafferty-McGrath (18) were involved in a head-on crash at Drumkeen on Thursday morning Kaylem O'Murchaidh (19), mother-of-one Teresa Robinson (20) and Steven McCafferty-McGrath (18) were involved in a head-on crash at Drumkeen on Thursday morning

ONE of the three young people killed in the latest Donegal road tragedy was a former underage county hurler.

Steven McCafferty-McGrath (18) and friends Kaylem O'Murchaidh (19) and mother-of-one Teresa Robinson (20) were involved in a head-on crash at Drumkeen early yesterday.

Another friend was in a serious condition at Letterkenny’s University Hospital.

Mr McCafferty-McGrath hurled at underage level with Donegal as well as with his club Burt on the Donegal-Derry border.

Last night the club flag was lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect at its ground, Hibernian Park, on the main Derry to Letterkenny road.

It also emerged that Mr McCafferty-McGrath’s death was the second tragedy to strike his family in the last year.

Last September, his great uncle Patrick Dowds was killed by a bull in a farming accident at Burt.

The deaths brought to five the number of young people killed in 24 hours on Donegal's roads.

Early on Wednesday morning, Barney McGinley (28) and Dermot Murphy-Boyle (19) died when their car collided with a van as they drove the wrong way on the dual carriageway between Derry and Letterkenny.

In the latest crash, the three friends were killed when two cars collided on a back road between Letterkenny and Drumkeen at Coravaddy Woods around 1am.

The alarm was raised when a passing motorist came on the scene a short time later to find that two of the victims had been thrown clear of the cars.

Michael Harrison, head of Donegal Garda traffic corps, said officers believe the two cars had been travelling at speed.

“We had a red Toyota Carina came into collision last night with a blue Peugeot on a back road outside Letterkenny and we need to know why these two vehicles crashed,” he said.

"It's devastating for this community to lose five people in two days, it really is very, very difficult.

"How many more young people can we lose? We have to do something to slow these people down on the road."

Damien Dowds of Burt GAA club said people were stunned by another road tragedy.

“Steven was a popular club member and his family was steeped in Burt GAA," he said.

"He played with the club through under-14 and under-16 and was part of the Donegal underage hurling development squads.”

Mr Dowds also said it was the second time the club has had to face road tragedy in the last year.

In August, a former underage team-mate of Mr McCafferty-McGrath, Martin Strain, was killed in collision near Burnfoot.

“The club seniors were to train tonight but nobody’s in the mood for that. We were to play Ballyshannon this weekend but we’re trying to have that postponed as a mark of respect.”

Mr McCafferty-McGrath, who was living in Letterkenny, is to be waked at his grandparents’ home in Burt.

Donegal Sinn Féin councillor Gerry McMonagle said people throughout Donegal are shocked at the deaths this week.

“Parents are worried for their own sons and daughters. It’s every parent’s nightmare to have a Garda come to your door in the middle of the night with news like that,” he said.