'When trad happens the first casualty is the truth - Ed Sheeran wasn't a drill'
Wexford. Known affectionately by people in Wexford as the Model County. Land of the strawberry. Home of celebrities like... like... eh... John Banville.
Wexford town. Population 21,525. Famed for having roads that go to both Dublin, and Rosslare. And thus, a town built to accommodate a swift exit.
READ MORE: "If you've been trying to contact Galway, sorry about that - Galway's off"
But history tells us that events unforeseen can overtake any preparations humanity has put in place. Such was the case on Wednesday, Wexford's 5/8.
Wexford woke up to blue skies, a morning like any other - except it wasn't. A fleadh was in progress, people were vigilant.
As a nation with a troubled past we are used to dealing with traditional Irish music. But in Wexford on Wednesday the threat level had been raised to severe. Scenes that nobody could have foreseen
As people went about their business - growing and selling strawberries and whatnot - notes hung in the air. Notes of the trad kind.
Precautions had been taken. Areas were sectioned off - primarily in pubs. This was a noble sacrifice regular drinkers made for the greater good. We will remember them...
When a trad festival breaks out, the first casualty is the truth. There's unverified footage of that noisy shoe dancing on wood.
You've got to get a handle on this - if you don't, the people who do it might get notions and consider running for the Presidency.
But worse, so much more worse, was to come. Around lunchtime, a SUV drove right up to a pub - the footage will be replayed for generations to come.
Then the news broke, the news nobody expected. Ed Sheeran had gone into the pub. The man who wrote the line: "Take my hand. Stop. Put Van the Man on the jukebox".
Oh the humanity... Unverified photographs show people on the streets, stunned, not knowing which way to run.
Profound stories are only emerging now about what happened inside the pub. Bar staff on the frontline were already battling early morning trad...
They are the best of us. But even they could not be prepared for Ed Sheeran at lunchtime. The man who had already inflicted Galway Girl on the world.
It's too soon for the blame game. In time, we will seek answers. Tribunals and inquiries will take their course. There will be no winners other than those who bank a load of cash.
There is a duty on those in power to consult with all those directly affected, and - for future generations - build an appropriate memorial to this event.
Meanwhile, we come to terms with the realisation that going to the pub will never be the same again. Is a minute silence too much to ask for? Never forget.
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Extra.ie
38 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Fashion designer found dead on yacht was planning to marry
The young Irish fashion designer found dead on a boat moored at one of New York's most exclusive sailing clubs was planning to marry her American boyfriend, has learned. A source close to the family of tragic entrepreneur Martha Nolan O'Slatarra also revealed the Carlow woman spoke to the man she had hoped to spend the rest of her life with just moments before her mysterious death. During the course of what proved to be the last phone call she would make, Martha, 33, assured her boyfriend she was about to head home. Martha Nolan-O'Slattara. Pic: Facebook But within minutes, she was found unconscious and later declared dead by medics who responded to a 911 call. The source told Extra: 'Martha and her boyfriend went to Ireland at Christmas. He met her family and getting married would have been the next step. 'It was just her and the boat owner on the boat. She phoned her boyfriend and she told him she was just about to be picked up by an Uber. 'There is such a short timeline between when she made the call and when the 911 call was made.' These crucial minutes between the two phone calls, made around midnight last Tuesday, are at the centre of a police investigation. Martha died while on a 27ft boat called Ripple and the other person on board was the owner of the 25-year-old vessel. Pic: Martha Nolan/TikTok Aged in his early 60s, it is believed he is the main eyewitnesses reportedly described running naked along the jetty shouting for help. People staying on nearby boats claimed the man threw a container of suntan lotion at one of his neighbours' yachts in a desperate bid to wake them up. Montauk is at the furthest end of Long Island, New York. Located in the upmarket Hamptons. The town has become the summer playground of the rich and famous. Many millionaire Wall Street brokers relocate there with their families to escape the blazing heat and humidity of New York's summer. According to locals, the owner of the boat on which Martha died has two vessels moored side by side at Montauk Yacht Club. He has previously come to the attention of local police when he was given a ticket for 'failure to display registration numbers'. Given the considerable age gap between them, Martha's friends are mystified as to why she was alone with the boat owner so late last Tuesday night. One friend Extra: 'He would be 60 or so years old, and Martha recently told a friend he had asked to meet her. 'But it does not make sense why she was alone with him or why he was naked. 'Martha's boyfriend was away on a work trip last weekend. Martha was very happy with her boyfriend, and she was very in love with her boyfriend.' Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra. Pic: TikTok Another pal added: 'Martha was a bright light and that light has been sniffed out. 'She has a lot of good friends, and all her friends want to get answers and to help so that she doesn't become just another statistic. We all loved her deeply.' Although many questions remain unanswered as to the tragic sequence of events leading up to Martha's death, what is known is that a 911 call was made just after midnight on Tuesday. At that stage, the young businesswoman was unconscious. The emergency call was not made by the boat owner, but by a Good Samaritan who had tried to help save Martha's life by giving her CPR. But by the time paramedics arrived, it was already too late and Martha was declared dead shortly afterwards. According to Suffolk County Police, an initial post-mortem examination was 'inconclusive' but 'did not show evidence of violence'. However, police are hopeful that further tests by the Medical Examiner's office will determine the cause of death, which will determine the direction of the investigation. These include the results of toxicology tests. In normal circumstances, it can take several weeks for these results to be finalised. But it is believed these may be fast-tracked given the unusual circumstances surrounding the young Irish woman's death. A police source told Extra: 'This is an investigation into an unnatural death and the Medical Examiner's Office will determine what course the investigation will take. Martha was a very vibrant young woman who had the world at her feet. 'Usually it can take several weeks for these test results to become known but I would think in this case things will be ramped up and they could be available in two weeks. 'Detectives will be looking at everyone she was involved with that night. They'll be looking at who she was socialising with, who made the 911 call, who heard the screams. 'All of these people will be interviewed, and the best way to do that is to is to interview them separately.' Martha Nolan-O'Slattara. Pic: Dylan Grace / Instagram Martha emigrated from her native Carlow to the US after graduating with a Master's Degree in Digital Marketing from UCD's Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School at the age of 26. Shortly afterwards, she set about launching her own luxury swim wear label, East X East, in New York. Through sheer hard work and determination, it appears the young Irish entrepreneur succeeded in a highly competitive business. Earlier this summer, she secured a pop-up shop position at Gurney's, regarded as one of the most exclusive shops in the Hamptons. Despite her business success, Martha endured some personal heartache along the way too. Her marriage to businessman Sam Ryan failed, with the couple going their separate ways. Although their divorce was in the process of being finalised, according to friends, her ex-husband is devastated by Martha's death. Contacted last night, Mr Ryan said: 'No comment. Thank you.' Martha's body was released by the Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday and her family are due to travel to New York over the coming days. There, they will await the outcome of the further autopsy and toxicology tests before bringing her remains home for burial. The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust is assisting the family with bringing Martha's remains home. Earlier this week, Martha's mother Elma Nolan revealed the shocking moment her youngest daughter told her that her sister was dead. Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra. Pic: TikTok 'I feel numb and in shock. My younger daughter Jacqui arrived in on Tuesday night and she was crying and shaking,' she told the Irish Independent. 'She said, 'I have terrible news… Martha's dead.' I don't know what happened to my daughter. We weren't told anything.' One of Martha's friends this weekend expressed frustration at the lack of official information about the circumstances surrounding her death. 'Something is not right. [The NYPD] aren't saying anything and sadly I don't know any details about that night,' they told Extra. The Irish Central news website reported that Martha's remains were expected to be released to her family yesterday. It also said the young Irishwoman last spoke to her mother on July 29, about plans to come home to Carlow this week. 'She wanted to know if I would be around to pick her up,' she is quoted as saying. 'It was a very quick call because she is so busy, but that's the last time we spoke.'
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
‘People don't get charged with dangerous use of a gun': campaigner calls for ‘vehicular manslaughter' to replace dangerous driving offences
Leo Lieghio, a spokesperson with the Irish Road Victims Association, lost his 16-year-old daughter Marsia almost 20 years ago in Clondalkin in Dublin. The driver who knocked her down failed to remain at the scene. Several days later in Belfast, the same driver knocked down an 18-year-old pedestrian who was seriously injured. She served a prison term of 10 months for having no road tax and insurance in relation to Marsia's death. She died several years later. After a spate of deaths on Irish roads in recent weeks, Mr Lieghio is calling for tougher laws and sentencing to be imposed. 'Careless and dangerous driving offences need to be replaced by a crime such as vehicular manslaughter. A person who uses a knife or a gun to shoot someone is never charged with careless or dangerous use of a knife or gun — it's manslaughter or murder. The same should be applied to driving offences in some cases,' said Mr Lieghio. He said tougher sanctions promised several years ago need to be introduced now. 'There are no such things as accidents as 99.9pc of them are avoidable. They are collisions. I have to campaign for tougher road laws and to educate young drivers, but I shouldn't have to.' So far this year 100 people have died on Irish roads, according to the latest garda statistics, with a rise in the number of vulnerable road users being killed. This year so far, 38 drivers, nine passengers, 23 pedestrians, 18 motorcyclists, one pillion passenger, nine cyclists and two e-scooter riders have been killed. Pedestrians accounted for nearly a quarter of road deaths so far this year. While motorcycles represent just 1.4pc of all licensed Irish road vehicles, motorcyclist fatalities made up 18pc of deaths. Overall, road users aged 16 to 25 years have represented the largest proportion of fatalities (26pc) and serious injuries (22pc) in recent years. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more As long as people have cars that can be driven at fast speeds, people will speed The stricter rules Mr Lieghio would like to see date back to when Shane Ross was Minister for Transport. Mr Ross received cabinet approval for graduated speeding penalties but they were never introduced. Ministers agreed to the proposals, which seek to impose more severe sanctions on motorists who have exceeded the speed limit by greater amounts. Mr Lieghio said questions have to be asked as to why these penalties were never enacted. 'Our various governments and road safety organisations need to act now and introduce stricter legislation instead of putting it off. All of the road deaths are preventable and speed limits need to be lowered also, down to 30kmh where appropriate. As long as people have cars that can be driven at fast speeds, people will speed,' he said. 'Car manufacturers should not be able to produce cars that are capable of going excess speeds, that's where road safety should first start. 'Alcohol interlocking systems on cars should be introduced here as they are in other EU countries. There are also more advanced drug-driving test methods available which should be here. GPS monitoring is also an option on cars along with scrapping the overriding option on engine speed limiters.' What is also needed is more respect by every road user for one another Mr Lieghio, a native of Dublin who lives in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, said for his family life will 'never be the same again'. 'It devastated us all and the years since have been tough.' He now visits secondary schools and third-level institutions as part of the Axa Roadsafe Roadshow in conjunction with local authorities nationwide. 'I speak about what happened to Marsia and how taking a car safety pledge is so important. Women seem to listen more and now hopefully we are getting through to young men. 'What is also needed is more respect by every road user for one another, more education and dedicated broadcast and print campaigns dedicated to pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists. 'But there seems to be inaction by the authorities here, especially learning from other countries and how they deal with road deaths. 'There was a world conference on road safety in Morocco last year and not one government minister or related body attended except ourselves. So where is the commitment from regulator bodies to tackle road deaths?' In a statement to the Sunday Independent, the Road Safety Authority said it is 'deeply concerned by the continuing loss of life on our roads, particularly among our most vulnerable road users. Every life lost represents a family, a community, and an irreplaceable human tragedy.' It added that the number of pedestrians killed is 'troubling and highlights the increased risks facing those on foot. These fatalities span all age groups, underlining that this is not a risk confined to any one demographic'. The Department of Transport was also contacted for comment.
Irish Examiner
13 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Motorcyclist, 40s, dies in collision involving car in Co Waterford
A man has died following a collision involving a car and a motorcycle, which happened on Saturday afternoon in Co Waterford. Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene of the incident on the Williamstown Road shortly after 1pm. The man, in his 40s, who was the motorcyclist, was pronounced dead at the scene. His body has since been removed to University Hospital Waterford, where an autopsy will take place in due course. The driver of the car, a woman in her 30s, was also taken to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. No other injuries were reported, a garda spokesperson said. A technical examination of the scene is being carried out, and the road remains closed. Local diversions are in place. Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward. Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the area between 12.50pm and 1.30pm are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardaí. Homeowners along the Williamstown Road who may have CCTV footage are also asked to make this available to gardaí. Anyone with any information should contact Waterford Garda Station on (051) 305300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. "Investigations are ongoing," the spokesperson said. It is the latest fatality to happen on Irish roads this weekend. On Saturday morning, a man in his 60s died in a collision in Co Tipperary. Gardaí and emergency services responded to the scene of a single-vehicle crash on the N24 at Kilmoyler, Cahir, at around 10.40 am.
