TWO school pupils killed in a car crash in Co Monaghan have been named as 16-year-old Dlava Mohamed and 17-year-old Kiea McCann.
The Largy College students had been on their way to a Debs ball in Monaghan when the car they were travelling in crashed around 6.45pm on Monday on the N54 CLones to Smithborough Road at Legnekelly.
Three other people in the car were also injured.
A 60-year-old man who was driving the car was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where he remains in a critical condition.
An 18-year-old woman is also in a critical condition at Cavan general hospital, where an 18-year-old man is also being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Post-mortem examinations of the young victims were due to take place on Tuesday at Monaghan General Hospital.
Horrendous, heart-wrenching news coming from Clones this evening.
— Matt Carthy TD (@mattcarthy) July 31, 2023
A moment of joy and celebration for these young people has turned into a lifetime of devastation for those who loved them.
God help the families affected. The prayers of everyone in County Monaghan is with them.
Kiea’s parents have spoken about how both girls had been dressed up and ready to enjoy a night of “champagne and balloons” when the car tragically left the road.
“There was great excitement here in the house before they went out,” Kiea’s father Frankie told the Irish Independent.
“We had food and champagne and balloons, and it was going to be a great night,”
Her mother Teresa said her daughter was a stunning girl who was bubbly and good-natured.
She said the two girls had been friends for years, after Dlava had originally moved from Syria with her family around eight years ago.
“It will be hard on all the young people. Hard on all the friends,” said Ms McCann.
As one of ten children, Kiea had planned to study childcare in September and attended her first motorbike rally with her father last weekend in Kildare.
Today, flowers were left at the gates of the secondary school in Co Monaghan as pupils and the wider community struggled with the sudden loss of two young lives.
In a statement, Largy College principal Sharon Magennis said that students, staff and parents were in a state of “deep shock”.
“It is with profound sadness and grief that we have learned about the devastating accident that resulted in the untimely and tragic loss of two cherished members of our school community,” she said.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends who have tragically lost loved ones. The other individuals involved in the accident also remain in our thoughts and prayers at this time.”
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- ‘Profound sadness and grief' after deaths of two girls in Co Monaghan crash
- Two dead and three in hospital after Co Monaghan crash
Thanking the emergency services for their quick response, she said the wellbeing of students, staff and parents was now the priority.
“The Largy College Critical Incident Team has met to coordinate a response and to enact the Critical Incident Plan,” she said.
“We are grateful to the public for their deeply felt expression of support and ask that we be given the time and space to concentrate on supporting those in the school community who are most in need.”
Visiting Largy College on Tuesday, the Irish social protection minister Heather Humphreys who is from Co Monaghan, said it was “a very sad day for Clones”.
“There’s a cloud over the town now and people just feel so upset and just numb by the tragedy that occurred,” she said.
“It’s not easy because up in The Diamond, the children last night all got ready, the girls especially were in their dresses and they were all ready for a great night out and it all, unfortunately, ended in tragedy.”
After meeting staff at the school, she said: “It is every parent’s worst nightmare because nobody expects to get that phone call.
“One of the parents was on the football field last night and she got the call to go.
“It’s just the shock and to think that this could happen to any child. And I know that many parents across the country are thinking all our children going to Debs, they start off a night full of fun and joy and then it ends up in tragedy.
“My heart goes out to them and they are in all our thoughts and prayers.”
The Westenra Hotel, which had been ready to host Monday's Debs celebration, is owned by the former Monaghan senior football manager, Seamus McEnaney.
A post on the hotel’s page read: “Our thoughts and prayers are with those families that have suffered an unbearable loss and those that remain in critical condition following the tragic accident last night.
“Our thoughts are also with all the community associated with Largy College and to all students who displayed great maturity and empathy upon hearing the tragic news.
“Finally, a thank you to all the staff on duty last night for dealing with everything in such a professional way.”
A post from The Roost Bar in Clones also passed on their condolences after learning of the “horrible tragedy”.
“To all the Largy College kids who attended the Debs, we’re very sorry that a night that should have been full of joy and celebration, ended in the loss of two of your fellow students.”
Thanking the emergency services, Clones Youth Club and Largy College for the support provided, the post added: “We’re a small, close-knit community and we’ll pull together to try and support families and friends in coming weeks and months.”
There have been 100 deaths on roads in the Republic to date this year, compared to 95 in the same period last year and 79 in 2021.
Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, a 35-year-old motorcyclist has died following a collision with a car in Co Armagh. Judith McMullan (35) died at the scene of the crash on the Mowhan Road, near Markethill last night.
It is the 40th fatality on the roads in Northern Ireland since the beginning of the year. Last year, 23 people had lost their lives on the roads in the first six months of the year with 55 in total across the year.
