Tributes flow to 'much loved' mother and classroom assistant after tragic death
A close-knit community in Co Antrim is mourning the heartbreaking loss of a young mother who tragically passed away at the weekend following a serious accident.
Shelly Feeney, who was aged in her 30s and from Ballymoney, had been in a critical condition in hospital following a single-vehicle crash on Monday, April 14.
Emergency services were called to the Knockmore Road area of Ballymoney at around 10.29am last Monday. Ms Feeney was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast by the charity Air Ambulance, reports Belfast Live.
Despite the best efforts of medical staff in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, the mum-of-two died as a result of her injuries on Saturday, 19 April. The news of her passing has sent shockwaves through Mosside and the wider north Antrim area, where she was known and loved by many.
Mosside Presbyterian Church has launched a fundraiser in aid of the family to help cover travel expenses to and from hospital, parking costs, potential loss of income and any unforeseen costs. It has already raised more than £22,000 (approximately €25,700).
In a further blow to the Feeney family, her father, James, passed away on Tuesday, 15 April, the day after his daughter's accident. His funeral took place on Friday.
In her funeral notice, Miss Feeney is remembered as the dearly-loved partner of Stephen; much-loved mother of Jake and Sophie; beloved daughter of the late James and June; dear granddaughter of Elsie and Mary Jane; much-loved sister of Bobby and a dear sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, niece, aunt, cousin and friend.
In a statement, Bushvalley Primary School in Ballymoney, where Miss Feeney worked as a classroom assistant, said: "It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Miss Shelley Feeney. Shelley was not only a highly esteemed and valued classroom assistant, but she was also a friend and a very much-loved member of the Bushvalley school family and community.
"We pass on our sincere sympathies to Stephen, Jake and Sophie and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire family circle at this very difficult time."
Ms Feeney's funeral will leave from her home on Wednesday at 10.30am to Mosside Presbyterian Church for a Service of Thanksgiving at 11am followed by burial afterwards in the adjoining graveyard.
Shelley's family would like to invite those attending the funeral to wear bright colours. House private, with the exception of 3pm - 6pm on Tuesday, when callers are welcome. Donations in lieu of flowers, if desired, to Air Ambulance N.I. c/o DJM Robinson and Son, 121 Culcrum Rd., Cloughmills, BT44 9DT.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Agriland
21 hours ago
- Agriland
Kerry farmer to take on 50-hours of ‘shear craic' for charity
A farmer from Co. Kerry is currently preparing for a charity challenge to shear around 2,000 sheep over the course of 50 hours. James O'Connor, a sheep farmer from in Cloghane in west Co. Kerry, is no stranger to record-breaking shearing events. In 2023, he sheared over 800 sheep in a 24-hour period to raise funds for his sister Mary Lynch, who had been given a terminal cancer diagnosis. The money was used to cover the cost of treatment in Germany for Mary, who is a mother of two young children, and has helped to prolong her life. Charity James told Agriland that he was eager to test his shearing ability even further and as a result the idea for '50 Hours of Shear Craic' was born. James said: 'We had done the 24-hour [challenge] and there was a little itch somewhere that couldn't be scratched, and we decided this was probably the way to do it and get it out of the system.' The upcoming 50-hour challenge taking place at Dingle Mart from July 3-6 is aiming to raise funds for two causes close to James and his family's heart. All money collected will go towards the Kerry Hospice Foundation and the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Unit at St. Joseph's National School in Castlemaine. 'Unfortunately, there aren't many families or people that haven't been touched by palliative care at this stage. 'They do great work and it is a credit to them, and it's nice to do something for them while they are looking after families in their time of need,' James said. The farmer also explained that a family member is attending the ASD unit at St. Joseph's National School, and James hoped that the money raised will help support the valuable work there too. James with his flock of sheep in west Co. Kerry James has set a fundraising target of €25,000, but he added that 'any few pound that's made and is given to the charities is a help to them and that's all we want to do'. The farmer, who also is involved in contract shearing, said it is hard to know how many sheep he will shear over the 50 hours. 'When I did the 24-hour challenge, we had originally set aside 700 sheep for it. I ended up doing 833. 'We have around 2,000 sheep organised for this. That's not to say I'm going to shear the 2,000 sheep, I could do more. I don't know, it's very hard to put a figure on it,' he said. '50 hours is a long time. At the end of the day I still have to look after myself and my own wellbeing. There are breaks. It's going to take three-and-a-half days to do it. 'I've done a lot of training – there's a lot of background work gone into it. I've had a personal trainer since last September working towards it,' he added. James shearing a sheep during his previous 24-hour shearing marathon The farmer is being supported on this challenge by his wife, Stacey and his cousin Ilona O'Dowd, along with Roy and Jeff Collier, who will be with him while he is shearing. James is encouraging members of the public to support the challenge in any capacity they can through the '50 Hours of Shear Craic' fundraising page on iDonate. He invited everyone to come along and see the challenge at Dingle Mart from July 3-6, where there will also be a range of family entertainment on offer.
RTÉ News
05-06-2025
- RTÉ News
WWI letters and medals found in house in Tipperary
A collection of letters and medals from a soldier serving on the Front Line during World War I have been discovered in a house in Tipperary. They were found during a clear out of a house in Thurles. Denis Kenny and his family were recently clearing out the house of his late mother when they discovered a small box containing letters, cards and medals. The memorabilia are of his late grand uncle James Maher - or Jem - who served with the Royal Field Artillery Regiment of the British Army in WWI. James joined the war effort in 1915 at age 28. The box contains letters he wrote to his family at home in Thurles and details the living conditions of the soldiers on the front. In one of the letters, he expresses his hope for an end to the war and flags their preparations for an upcoming battle. This is understood to be a reference to the battle of Passchendaele or the third battle of Ypres, which resulted in over 900,000 casualties. James was among the casualties. He died on 11 August 1917 and is buried in the War Cemetery in Ypres. While James served in the British Army, his sister Josephine was a member of Cumann na mBan in Thurles, fighting against British rule in Ireland. Denis said the letters give a fascinating picture of family life in Ireland at a difficult time. "It's an unusual tale. Some people chose to fight with the British Army in Europe and my grand uncle Jem was one of those, while his sister Josephine at home fought against British rule in Ireland. "Their relationship didn't seem to be affected by this - going by their correspondence in the letters. But I wonder how their relationship would have panned out if he had returned alive from the war." The letters and war medals could have been thrown out accidentally during the house clear out, but Denis said that the family are very relieved to have found them and are now making plans to have them conserved.
The Irish Sun
03-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
RTE Fair City viewers all say Babs has ‘lost the plot' after dramatic revenge on man behind online attack
RTE Fair City viewers said Babs "has lost the plot" after she got revenge on the man behind an online attack. In tonight's episode, Ruby informed Babs that the video of her being hit with a breakfast roll had been deleted, but someone online tried to start a challenge encouraging others to target her again. 2 Ruby informed Babs that someone online tried to start a challenge encouraging others to target her again Credit: RTE 2 Babs got revenge after Liam mentioned he recognised one of the men involved Credit: RTE Babs regretted not confronting the original culprits. Liam mentioned he recognised one of the men involved. Taking matters into her own hands, Babs got revenge by clamping the man's van and covering it in shaving foam. However, her confidence wavered when her boss called her in for a meeting the next morning, leaving her anxious about the consequences. READ MORE ON FAIR CITY Ciara said: "Babs has lost the plot." Thomas wrote: "What a childish waste of shaving cream." Sylvia remarked: "The Babs story is boring me already." Sinead said: "Bye Babs." Most read in News TV Another added: "Carol won't take kindly to Babs Cabs." Elsewhere, Holly overheard James insisting to Emma that she kicked her and Milo out and threatened to leave. A look at tonight's episode of Fair City Emma assured Holly that she wanted them to stay. James insisted Emma had been played again. Holly told Renee that James is Milo's father. James feared she will tell everyone in the town. James approached Rafferty and Emma and insisted they work together to stop Holly taking advantage of them, but Emma told James that she is happy to be a grandmother. TONIGHT'S DRAMA Gareth encouraged Melanie to stand up to Joan, but Melanie feared she might be fired. Melanie decided that she will quit on her own terms, but after a chat with Gareth she considered going back to the office. Renee and Ruby bickered over Renee's micromanaging, while Mondo tried to keep the peace. Mondo took his frustration out on Ray and Renee. Gareth visited Joan in work to convince her to keep Melanie on but raised Joan's suspicions about his involvement. When Kira offered to look after things with Comet for a few days, Mondo apologised to Ray and told him that he can still go on the holiday after all.
