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The Independent
07-07-2025
- The Independent
Deaths of mother and daughter in road crash an ‘unspeakable tragedy'
The deaths of a mother and her six-year-old daughter in a crash in Co Donegal are an 'unspeakable tragedy' that have brought pain to an entire community, their joint funeral has heard. Nurse Natalie McLaughlin and her daughter Ella were fatally injured in a collision between their car and a van on the R240 at Glentogher, Carndonagh, on the Inishowen peninsula on last Wednesday evening. Ms McLaughlin's partner Tyrone and their 18-month-old daughter Rhea-Rose sustained serious injuries in the crash. No other injuries were reported. Funeral mass was held for the mother and daughter in the Sacred Heart Church in their hometown of Carndonagh on Monday. Ahead of the service, people lined the streets as their two white coffins were carried through the town toward the church followed by a large crowd of mourners. As the cortege approached the church, young children from St Patrick's Girls National School, where Ella was a pupil, stood together on either side of the road as the coffins passed by. During the service, parish priest Con McLaughlin told mourners the crash had revived memories of other devastating road collisions in Co Donegal in recent years. 'The grey sky was a fitting backdrop for the arrival of Natalie McLaughlin's remains to her home in Church Road,' he said. 'The silence was only broken by the sound of the feet of those carrying her coffin. Natalie was now joining her little daughter. Ella's remains had come home earlier, and the silence said it all – an unspeakable tragedy and a pain felt throughout the whole community.' He added: 'The pain is felt not only in Carndonagh but also throughout Inishowen and further afield, because it revives painful memories of all too many similar tragedies that have taken place throughout this region. 'For me, personally, the scene revived memories of when I ministered in Buncrana, and during my time there there was a series of multiple fatalities in car accidents. 'How much more will this tragedy revive similar memories in so many people. I spoke to Natalie's parents and just one comment was forthcoming, Natalie's mother (Joanne) said, 'well, at least the only consolation I have is now that they are together'. 'Two young lives taken – no-one has the answer.' Ms McLaughlin's nurse's uniform was placed in front of the altar during the service, as were toys belonging to Ella. At the close of the service, family members paid tribute to Ms McLaughlin and her daughter. Ms McLaughlin's brother Tiarnan said the nurse was always putting everyone before herself. 'When you asked Nat for help you already knew the answer – 'yes',' he said. 'She was just that loving and thoughtful. When Nat asked 'how are you?' you can see how much she genuinely cared for your answer. As a mother, she took care of two beautiful children who were always reminded that they were the most loved in the world. Natalie would always make you feel loved for even small things like telling you off for not doing the right thing for yourself and always making time, even if she doesn't have it, to check up with you and see what she can support you with. 'Natalie loved her job. She was an amazing nurse, which is no wonder – such a kind, caring, loving, vibrant young woman who would make anyone feel welcome with her smile and her soft spoken nature. You always hear people rave about the excellent care and compassion Natalie would give. 'I know you are listening Nat, you know how much everyone loves you – love you Nat.' Ms McLaughlin's sister Lara said it was hard to remember what life was like before her niece Ella was born. 'She's the light of our lives, the centre of our entire world,' she told the church. 'For a girl so young, there was absolutely no doubt she was entirely sure of who she was, so outgoing and so intelligent. She lived such a full life in her very short six years. Her most recent holiday to Portugal, just two weeks ago, she learned how to swim, play chess and do magic tricks. Our perfect, crazy girl with her cheeky little face and sassy attitude, it was easy for Ella to leave a lasting impression on everyone that she met. 'For the last six years, we have been kept completely entertained and happily on our toes. Ella possesses the biggest, craziest personality and the sweetest soul. Every emotion with Ella was heightened and so pure. She had the ability to love so intensely from tight cuddles and showers of kisses to finding love notes she'd placed all around the house. 'We will love and miss you, Ella, every second of every day, forever.' After the service, the remains of the mother and daughter were taken onward for burial in the church's adjoining cemetery.
BreakingNews.ie
07-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Deaths of mother and daughter in Donegal road crash an ‘unspeakable tragedy'
The deaths of a mother and her six-year-old daughter in a crash in Co Donegal are an 'unspeakable tragedy' that have brought pain to an entire community, their joint funeral has heard. Nurse Natalie McLaughlin and her daughter Ella were fatally injured in a collision between their car and a van on the R240 at Glentogher, Carndonagh, on the Inishowen peninsula on last Wednesday evening. Advertisement Ms McLaughlin's partner Tyrone and their 18-month-old daughter Rhea-Rose sustained serious injuries in the crash. No other injuries were reported. Funeral mass was held for the mother and daughter in the Sacred Heart Church in their hometown of Carndonagh on Monday. The coffins of Natalie McLaughlin and her six-year-old daughter Ella are carried to Sacred Heart Church, Carndonagh (Liam McBurney/PA). Ahead of the service, people lined the streets as their two white coffins were carried through the town toward the church followed by a large crowd of mourners. As the cortege approached the church, young children from St Patrick's Girls National School, where Ella was a pupil, stood together on either side of the road as the coffins passed by. Advertisement During the service, parish priest Con McLaughlin told mourners the crash had revived memories of other devastating road collisions in Co Donegal in recent years. 'The grey sky was a fitting backdrop for the arrival of Natalie McLaughlin's remains to her home in Church Road,' he said. 'The silence was only broken by the sound of the feet of those carrying her coffin. Natalie was now joining her little daughter. Ella's remains had come home earlier, and the silence said it all – an unspeakable tragedy and a pain felt throughout the whole community.' He added: 'The pain is felt not only in Carndonagh but also throughout Inishowen and further afield, because it revives painful memories of all too many similar tragedies that have taken place throughout this region. Advertisement 'For me, personally, the scene revived memories of when I ministered in Buncrana, and during my time there there was a series of multiple fatalities in car accidents. 'How much more will this tragedy revive similar memories in so many people. I spoke to Natalie's parents and just one comment was forthcoming, Natalie's mother (Joanne) said, 'well, at least the only consolation I have is now that they are together'. 'Two young lives taken – no-one has the answer.' The coffins of Natalie McLaughlin and her six-year-old daughter Ella are carried into the church (Liam McBurney/PA). Ms McLaughlin's nurse's uniform was placed in front of the altar during the service, as were toys belonging to Ella. Advertisement At the close of the service, family members paid tribute to Ms McLaughlin and her daughter. One said the nurse was always putting everyone before herself. 'When you asked Nat for help you already knew the answer – yes,' said the family member. 'She was just that loving and thoughtful. When Nat asked 'how are you?' you can see how much she genuinely cared for your answer. As a mother, she took care of two beautiful children who were always reminded that they were the most loved in the world. Natalie would always make you feel loved for even small things like telling you off for not doing the right thing for yourself and always making time, even if she doesn't have it, to check up with you and see what she can support you with. Advertisement 'Natalie loved her job. She was an amazing nurse, which is no wonder – such a kind, caring, loving, vibrant young woman who would make anyone feel welcome with her smile and her soft spoken nature. You always hear people rave about the excellent care and compassion Natalie would give. 'I know you are listening Nat, you know how much everyone loves you – love you Nat.' Another family member said it was hard to remember what life was like before Ella was born. 'She's the light of our lives, the centre of our entire world,' she told the church. 'For a girl so young, there was absolutely no doubt she was entirely sure of who she was, so outgoing and so intelligent. She lived such a full life in her very short six years. Her most recent holiday to Portugal, just two weeks ago, she learned how to swim, play chess and do magic tricks. Our perfect, crazy girl with her cheeky little face and sassy attitude, it was easy for Ella to leave a lasting impression on everyone that she met. 'For the last six years, we have been kept completely entertained and happy on our toes. Ella possesses the biggest, craziest personality and the sweetest soul. Every emotion with Ella was heightened and so pure. She had the ability to love so intensely from tight cuddles and showers of kisses to finding love notes she'd placed all around the house. 'We will love and miss you, Ella, every second of every day, forever.' After the service, the remains of the mother and daughter were taken onward for burial in the church's adjoining cemetery.
Irish Times
04-07-2025
- Irish Times
Donegal crash: Mother and daughter who died named locally
A mother and daughter who died following a road crash near Carndonagh, Co Donegal on Wednesday evening have been named locally. Six-year-old Ella McLaughlin was fatally injured when the car in which she was a rear seat passenger collided with a van on the R240 road at Glentogher at around 6.30pm. Her mother, Natalie McLaughlin, a nurse in her 20s who was driving the car, was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry and later transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. However, she died from her injuries on Thursday afternoon. Two other people remained in hospital on Thursday evening following the crash. All four people who were in the car are understood to be members of the same family unit. READ MORE 'A female child, who was a rear passenger, is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Royal Victoria Hospital,' An Garda Síochána said in a statement. 'A male front seat passenger (30s) is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Altnagelvin Hospital, Derry.' The scene of the crash on the R240 between Quigleys Point and Carndonagh in North Donegal. Photograph: Joe Dunne/North West Newspix Cllr Martin McDermott, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council's Inishowen Municipal District, said he knew the family and that the loss of the mother and daughter was 'just devastating'. 'The loss of anybody on our roads is difficult for any community to take,' the Fianna Fáil politician said. 'But the loss of a mother and daughter, particularly given the fact that they are so young, is even more poignant and more difficult to accept.' Mr McDermott said people from the area were 'just numb' after learning of the two death and 'there is very little I can add to that other than to keep them all in our thoughts and prayers'. The deaths of the mother and daughter brought the number of fatalities on Co Donegal's roads so far this year to 10. Fr Con McLaughlin, parish priest in Carndonagh, said he went to Altnagelvin Hospital to be with those injured in the crash and would never forget the sadness in the emergency department. 'You had doctors and nurses running around trying to do their best to help these poor helpless people,' he said. 'It is something I will never, ever forget. 'I just wanted to be a presence there for the family and I did not speak too much but I just wanted them to know that we are all there for them.' Fr McLaughlin said the people of Inishowen were sadly used to tragedies happening on the peninsula's roads. 'We can visualise how they must feel at this time and how the wider community feels,' he said. Donegal councillor Joy Beard said the 'entire community is just numb and once again just lost for words'. 'Inishowen has known more than its fair share of tragedy on its roads over the years and it has happened again.' The R240 was closed for a period on Thursday while a technical examination of the crash scene was carried out but reopened later in the day. The head of the Garda Traffic Corps in Donegal, Insp Seán McDaid, appealed for witnesses, particularly any road users who may have relevant camera footage, to contact Buncrana Garda station on 074 932 0540, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.
Irish Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dean Rock: Jim McGuinness wants people to think it's Donegal against the world
It felt like Jim McGuinness had ripped some pages from the Alex Ferguson playbook last Sunday - the chapter on 'us against the world'. The Donegal manager was apparently frustrated by the scheduling of Dr Hyde Park to host his team's All-Ireland round-robin match against Mayo . His remarks to that effect caused something of a dispute between Donegal and the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee . But sweep away that thin veneer and maybe it was more about engineering a sense of Donegal against the world. Or the world against Donegal. Take your pick. It was about galvanising the squad, galvanising the county. It was more about what's to come rather than what has already taken place. READ MORE McGuinness doesn't strike me as somebody who expresses such sentiments without having first walked through the consequences in his head. It's all part of a plan and a strategy. McGuinness remarked: 'You're 38 minutes from Mayo's training ground. We're 3½ hours from Inishowen. It's not fair. If I don't say it, who's going to say it?' Having travel distances at hand showed this was a message McGuinness had pre-cooked and was keen to express. It wasn't really about the venue. It was about creating a siege mentality. Additionally, it was used as a deflection tactic because Donegal's level of performance probably wasn't where he would have wanted it to be last Sunday. The Mayo match rounded off a slightly disappointing group stage for Donegal. They never really reproduced the levels they showed in the Ulster final. Donegal players form a huddle before last Sunday's match against Mayo. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Donegal would have targeted finishing top of their group, so the last few weeks haven't panned out as McGuinness and his management team would have liked. The preliminary quarter-final is a game they could have done without. So, it was an opportune time to rally the county behind a cause, stir up a 'them versus us' mentality. Ultimately, it creates a fuss around an issue that is not going to have any material impact on whether Donegal win the All-Ireland or not. Should they beat Louth in Ballybofey on Sunday, then Donegal will play the rest of their championship games at Croke Park. Moaning about a venue at this stage is incidental. However, it does allow the Donegal squad and their supporters to unite behind a perceived sense of unfairness and use it as a motivational tool for the weeks ahead. In that regard, McGuinness had nothing to lose by shaking a few trees in his post-match interview last Sunday. At this stage of the championship, teams will use whatever they can to gain an edge. If you should be beating a team by 20 points and you don't beat them by 20 points, then that's probably a sign of complacency or a lack of humility For years, it was thrown at Dublin about playing all our championship games in Croke Park. When we were asked about it, the message from the players and management was consistent – we are happy to play anywhere; we don't decide on venues. And we were happy to play outside of Croke Park. That wasn't just a throwaway comment. Looking back now, some of my fondest memories were going to play down the country. Those away trips were great for team-bonding and encouraging camaraderie. I would have liked to play in more of the grounds around the country. Donegal manager Jim McGuinness looks on from the sideline during last weekend's match against Mayo, which his team won by a point. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho But we were aware of the narrative out there around us playing in Croke Park. When our success reached a certain level during that era, everybody outside of Dublin wanted us to be beaten, which is understandable. We certainly used that as a motivating factor. It wasn't a central tenet of our preparations, but I think we kind of fed off that as a group. We got a huge amount of confidence during that period because the group was so tight-knit. The dressingroom became a sacred place – when we were in there, it felt like it was us against everybody else, and that worked for us. It wasn't about going out to prove people wrong – it was more about showing the opposition absolute respect. You do that by beating them by as much as possible. If you should be beating a team by 20 points and you don't beat them by 20 points, then that's probably a sign of complacency or a lack of humility because you are not doing what you should be doing. And I think there might have been an element of that in the comments by McGuinness last week. Donegal need to rediscover their form from earlier in the championship, because in the defeat to Tyrone and for parts of last week's win over Mayo, they weren't doing what they should have been doing in terms of putting the opposition away. Instead, that result hung in the balance right until the last kick of the ball. Donegal's Ciarán Moore celebrates scoring the late winning point against Mayo. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Given how the second half panned out, Donegal could quite easily have ended up losing and found themselves finishing third in the group and now facing the prospect of a trip to Killarney this weekend. So, while McGuinness will be pleased by the character and ruthlessness they showed to win the game, it wasn't as convincing a victory for Donegal as they probably would have liked. Instead, it was another draining 70 minutes for a team that has played more games than most in this year's championship. Sunday's preliminary quarter-final will be Donegal's eighth outing having already played Derry, Monaghan, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Cavan and Mayo. Only Meath have played as many matches as Donegal – and the Royals have avoided the prelims. So, perhaps McGuinness just felt now was the right time to spark a little fire. You cannot keep the 'us against the world' psychology going for six months but it's something that can be helpful in a shorter window. There are just five weeks until the All-Ireland final, so McGuinness probably reasoned that leaning into it now would pull the group nice and tight for the journey ahead. There is probably a bit of pressure on the group as well because the expectation levels have increased – Donegal are fancied by many to win the All-Ireland. Patrick McBrearty and Michael Murphy celebrate in the dressingroom after Donegal beat Armagh in the Ulster SFC final in May. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho McGuinness delivered Sam Maguire in year two during his first term in charge and so parallels will be drawn between 2012 and 2025. One key difference is that for this group, 2025 looks like their best shot at winning the All-Ireland. Donegal made it back to an All-Ireland final two years after the 2012 triumph, but I wouldn't be as convinced this group will still be as competitive two seasons from now as they currently are. Michael Murphy, for one, is unlikely to be still togging out for the county. Will McGuinness still be there? Key players like Patrick McBrearty and Ryan McHugh have spent well over a decade in the trenches. I think it's pretty much now for this Donegal team. The players know this team's window for success will not be open forever. That all adds to the pressure. And with the team not performing as well as they should, maybe that's why this 'us against them' messaging emerged from the Donegal camp last weekend. Because, let's be honest, Donegal are not exactly the most loathed team in the country. Far from it, I would have thought. They are expected to beat Louth on Sunday and I believe that is exactly what will happen, but Ger Brennan's Leinster champions have nothing to lose and I'd expect them to bring a decent performance. Donegal's Oisín Gallen signs autographs after the game against Cavan at the start of June. Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan/Inpho Beyond that, Donegal will need more from the likes of McBrearty and Oisín Gallen in supporting Michael Murphy up top. Gallen, for me, is the key. He was exceptional last year, won an All Star and brought that real x-factor quality to his play, but I don't think he has got back to those high standards this season. All it takes for a player of his ability to find his mojo again is one good game. If he can deliver a big performance against Louth, then Donegal will travel to Croke Park as a much more formidable outfit. Either way, the Ulster champions are likely to be among the last eight when the quarter-finals take centre stage next weekend. Because the racket last Sunday about venues wasn't really about Dr Hyde Park, it was about benefiting Donegal when they get to Croke Park.
BreakingNews.ie
11-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Second teenager dies following swimming incident off Donegal coast
A second young man has died following a swimming tragedy off Co Donegal yesterday. It follows an incident off the Inishowen Peninsula yesterday afternoon that sparked a huge search and rescue mission. Advertisement Three young men aged between 16 and 19 years old got into difficulty off the Inishowen town of Buncrana at around 4pm. The alert was raised by a passer-by which sparked a massive sea operation involving both volunteers and members of the emergency services. One of the men managed to swim to shore while another was later plucked from the water but a third could not be found. The body of the third man was recovered from the water between an area known as Ned's Point and Fahan around 9pm last night. Advertisement The second man taken from the sea by rescuers and rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital. However, he has since passed away overnight despite the best efforts of medics to save his life. A third man is understood to be in a comfortable condition in hospital. Two RNLI lifeboats were assisted by teams from Mulroy and Greencastle coastguard units with further help by up to a dozen local yachts. The multi-agency search included the Rescue 118 helicopter from Sligo along with the RNLI lifeboat from Buncrana and a number of local yachts. Prayers were said at local masses this morning for three young men and their families. Local county councillor Jack Murray said there were no words to describe how the community in Buncrana felt following the tragedy. He praised the work of local volunteers as well as all of the emergency services who assisted in the search and rescue operation. He said 'Our emergency services have once again demonstrated courage and professionalism in unthinkable circumstances. "We have been hit with so many tragedies and horrendous events in this area. Each time the emergency services are called upon, they stand up without fail.'
