Connemara community’s plea as killer stretch claims sixth life

Date Published: 08-May-2013

A COMMUNITY in South Connemara has this week made a heartfelt plea for Galway County Council to put in place a footpath and streetlights to stop the carnage on a killer stretch of roadway that last week claimed the life of a local 15-year-old schoolgirl.

According to local people, the death of Leah Feeney from Clynagh, Carraroe, after being hit by a car last week in Rossaveal, is the sixth road death in the area over the past decade and the third pedestrian to die in the area over recent times.

“Galway County Council just cannot stand idly by any more – too many people and too many families have been devastated by the failure of the Council to construct a half mile of a footpath and to put in place a few streetlights,” Barry Ó Fatharta, Chairman of the Rossaveal Parish Council told the Connacht Tribune this week.

He said that there wasn’t a pedestrian or motorist in this area who didn’t have a ‘near miss’ along the half mile stretch of roadway between the local pub and the port – Mr. Ó Fatharta warned, that unfortunately, there would be more injuries and deaths unless the Council took action.

“We are devastated again here in Rossaveal and South Connemara this week. We have lost a beautiful young girl along a stretch of roadway that has claimed the lives of six people over the past decade or so, most of them pedestrians. What else has to happen before the Council will take some action,” said Barry Ó Fatharta.

He said that with people walking along the roadway, there was just ‘no escape’ if two cars met at the same point. “Pedestrians just have nowhere to go if two cars meet at certain points along this stretch of road. It really is as stark as that,” added Mr. Ó Fatharta.

Leah Feeney, a pupil of Coláiste Cholmcille, Indreabhán, lost her life on the night of Wednesday, May 1, close to Rossaveal village after being hit by a car as she walked along the roadway with a friend at around 9.45pm.

She was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Galway but was pronounced dead there later that night. There were emotional scenes at her funeral with her tearful school colleagues forming a guard of honour while a musical tribute was also paid to her at the graveside.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.