Three people die in separate tragedies over the weekend

Date Published: 24-Oct-2011

BY FRANK FARRAGHER

THREE people from the city area tragically lost their lives over the weekend – one of them in a road accident and another in a house fire.

A well known city taxi driver also died over the weekend in the Carrowbrowne area close to his vehicle, after he had stopped to change a tyre.

The victim of the house fire has been named as Andrew Armstrong (44) from Gilnockie, Lenereevagh, Barna – the alarm was raised shortly after 2am on Saturday morning last with emergency services arriving at the scene in Barna shortly after.

A 71-year-old woman, who was in the house at the time, was rescued and was treated at University Hospital Galway (UHG) for smoke inhalation.

Gardai carried out a full technical examination of the scene, on the city side of the village along the main Galway-Barna Road – the cause of the blaze is not being treated as suspicious.

The 73-year-old pensioner who died after being struck by a motorcycle at Renmore Road, Renmore, on Friday evening last at around 6.30pm, has been named as Tony Wheatley from Dun na Mara, Renmore.

The late Mr Wheatley, a married man and father of seven, was rushed by ambulance to UHG on Friday but died from his injuries later that night.

His Funeral Mass takes place this morning (Tuesday) at Renmore Church (11am) with burial afterwards in the New Cemetery, Bohermore.

The city taxi driver, who is understood to have died from natural causes close to his car near the Curragh Line at Carrowbrowne on Friday night last, has been named locally as Frank Barrett (59), Beach Drive, Renmore.

He is survived by his mother, wife, two sons and two daughters. The late Mr. Barrett was a very popular man in the Renmore, having a great interest in politics, as an active member of the Fianna Fáil party, and the GAA.

Reposing for the late Mr Barrett takes place this Tuesday evening from 4.30pm to 7.30pm at Aras Naofa with the Funeral Mass on Wednesday (11am) in Renmore Church followed by burial in the New Cemetery, Renmore.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel