Funeral takes place of 13-year-old girl who died in racing accident
The funeral will take place later today of a 13-year-old girl who died whilst taking part in a rally at the Cork Autograss Racing Club track in Enniskean, West Cork on May 4th.
Lauren O'Brien of Knockane, Terelton, Co Cork was pronounced dead at the scene last Sunday afternoon. Her car went out of control when she was competing in a heat and crashed in to a barrier,
Advertisement
A requiem mass for Lauren will take place at St Joseph's Church in Castletownkenneigh at noon on Friday with burial following at Terelton cemetery. Mourners are asked to donate to West Cork Rapid Response in lieu of flowers.
Lauren previously attended Coppeen National School in Enniskean. In a statement on social media management and staff said that they had 'nothing but warm memories of a wonderful girl full of life, determination and positivity.'
McEgan College in Macroom, where Lauren attended first year, said that she was 'a beautiful girl, inside and out, bubbly, fun loving, kind, caring, a loveable rogue.'
Her parents Timmy and Therese previously thanked the emergency services, the Cork Autograss community, neighbours and friends for their assistance in the aftermath of the death of Lauren.
Advertisement
Lauren is survived by her parents, her brother Josh, sister Shannon, grandparents Christy, Teresa, Connie and Ellen, godparents, extended family and her friends.
She grew up in Castletownkenneigh, Co Cork with the family subsequently moving to Terlelton. Lauren was one of four junior drivers competing in a heat at the hot rod event when the accident occurred.
A garda investigation has been launched in to the incident. The scene was preserved to allow a forensic crash investigator to attempt to establish the cause of the collision. An inquest will be held at a later date.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
6 minutes ago
- Wales Online
Huge sum raised for family of 'one of the best' killed in crash
Huge sum raised for family of 'one of the best' killed in crash Dai Roberts from the Carmarthen area died 13 years after his brother was also killed in a rally crash. He's been described as a 'winner in life' who had a 'big, big heart' Rally co-driver Dai Roberts from Carmarthenshire, who died in a crash on May 24 (Image: Motorsport UK ) Almost £150,000 has been raised for the family of 'one of the best' who tragically died in a rally car during an event in Scotland. Dai Roberts, from Carmarthenshire, was killed on Saturday, May 24, having been involved in a crash while taking part in the Jim Clark Rally in the Scottish Borders. Emergency services were called to the crash site that morning but Mr Roberts, who was 39, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was co-driver in the rally car, while the driver, James Williams, was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. To make matters even more tragic for the Roberts family, Dai's brother Gareth also died while rallying in Sicily 13 years ago. Stay informed on Carms news by signing up to our newsletter here . In the wake of Mr Roberts' death last month, a fundraising page was set up in order to raise 'as much as possible for the funeral and on-going support for Dai's wife and children'. Incredibly, more than £100,000 was raised to help Mr Roberts' family in less than two days, while now, less than two weeks later, the total stands at £147,855. Motorsport journalist Luke Barry wrote on the website Dirtfish: 'It never, ever gets any easier. It never, ever feels fair. But for a family that has gone through so much pain, the heartbreaking loss of Dai Roberts has been particularly tough to take. 'The impact he made on the rallying community is immeasurable, leaving behind a legacy of dedication, professionalism and, above all, kindness. Article continues below 'Everybody has a story about him - each and every one unique and now so dearly cherished. But all underpinned by one common theme: Dai's big, big heart. Even when he didn't have time to speak to you, he made time to speak to you. 'The outpouring of emotion and online tributes since the heartbreaking news speak volumes. Dai improved lives. Dai was a winner on the special stages, but more importantly a winner in life.' Dai Roberts (right) with driver James Williams, who was also injured in the crash (Image: James Williams media office ) Other tributes paid to Mr Roberts since his death help paint a picture of the type of man he was. Co-driver Rob Fagg said: 'Dai as we walked back this morning (Saturday) from collecting our time cards, laughing and joking I didn't ever expect that to be the last time. One of the best in the seat, great friend in the sport over many, many years of competition. You will be missed by so many my friend.' Fellow Welsh rally driver Meirion Evans said: 'It's hard to know what to say, something like this hits hard and it still feels a bit numb. But there aren't many like Dai. 'A proper co-driver, driver, decent footballer, all round competitor and one of the most determined and strong people I have ever come across. My thoughts go out to the entire Roberts family.' Andy Davies, a British rally driver and close friend of Mr Roberts, said: 'Still struggling to process and acknowledge the reality of this. The world can be so damn cruel. 'Never more than a phone call away, Dai stepped up when I needed it most. He always had the answers. Someone I always had the utmost respect for, and someone I was lucky to call a friend. 'A life lived, a mark left on the world for so many. We all have a story about Dai. I'll look back on the memories, and miss you so very much.' Article continues below If you would like to contribute to the fundraising page set up for Mr Roberts' family, you can still do so here. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Married Irish woman 'sexually assaults man at Magaluf spa hotel' where she was staying with her husband
A married Irish woman has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a man at the spa of a Magaluf hotel where she is understood to have been staying with her husband. The 37-year-old was hauled to court after being accused of touching her alleged victim's genitals without his consent. She was taken into the court building in the Majorcan capital Palma by an armed police officer. Cops are expected to reveal more detail about yesterday's arrest in the coming hours. The Irish tourist, who was released on bail by an investigating judge still probing the alleged crime, has not been named. The alleged sex assault happened around 6pm on Tuesday. The hotel has not been identified. Well-placed sources said the Swedish man was already in the hotel sauna when the female holidaymaker came in and sat near him and struck up a conversation with him after asking him how long he had been in Magaluf. She left the sauna and took a dip in a swimming pool beside it before following the man into a Turkish steam bath where the alleged sex assault took place according to a police report sent to the investigating court. The male holidaymaker is understood to have alerted hotel staff who called the police after telling the Irish woman to stop as she 'sexually molested' him without warning. Although she denied any inappropriate behaviour when cops reached the hotel and quizzed her on the spot, she told the judge she regretted her actions and wrongly thought the man was interested in her in court hours later. Her alleged court confession has not yet been confirmed by police or court officials.
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Government need to implement safeguarding legislation in nursing homes
The chairperson of Safeguarding Ireland, Patricia Rickard-Clarke, has repeated a call on the government to establish an interdepartmental interagency working group to implement the recommendations of the Law Reform Commission's report from April 2024, which set out the policy changes that needed to be made to implement safeguarding legislation. Ms Rickard-Clarke was responding to an RTÉ exposé into two nursing homes where residents were manhandled and ignored for long periods of time. Advertisement 'I am very disturbed and very distressed and very, very angry about this,' she told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland. 'We're 20 years after Leas Cross. We have gone backwards, I think.' While Leas Cross had been closed down advances had not been made in terms of what to do or what we should be doing, she said. 'There are questions to be answered by Hiqa. I would say, though, that in relation to Hiqa, one of the limitations it has is that it doesn't have the function of taking individual complaints or concerns. It looks at systemic issues, and it goes in on an irregular basis, and also, there was a delay in responding to a particular request (by a whistleblower).' 'That's just not acceptable. It's not acceptable even if there's one person being abused; that is a serious incident that should be followed up immediately.' Advertisement The implementation of the recommendations about safeguarding would provide a legal framework, she said. 'At the moment, we're working to a HSE limited policy, which is run by the HSE by safeguarding and protection teams, but it is limited to healthcare issues. 'There are much wider issues in safeguarding, and again, there are offences that should be implemented straight away. The Law Reform Commission sets out a number of offences that straight away could be enacted under criminal law. "This is the Department of Justice responsibility. So, an offence of intentional or reckless abuse and neglect or ill treatment, an offence for exposure to serious harm, an offence of endangerment. The criminal law it's all set out in the 2024 Bill. Advertisement 'We need what Safeguarding Ireland has recommended, which is the establishment of an independent adult safeguarding authority which will have functions and roles in relation to adult safeguarding to protect people from abuse. It would have the function of receiving reports of suspected abuse or actual abuse, and it would have the statutory function of responding to those abuses." Meanwhile, the CEO of The Alliance, a trade association for the nursing home sector in Ireland, Shane Scanlan, has said he was 'utterly shocked and appalled' by the RTÉ exposé. 'As a nurse myself and the director of nursing for over 10 years, you just really feel for the residents and families that have been affected by this,' he told Newstalk Breakfast. Mr Scanlon paid tribute to nurse Claire Doyle who was the 'whistleblower' who approached RTÉ and made protected disclosures. Advertisement 'The real question is, what if she never went to RTÉ with those protective disclosures, that she met and her students met, still went into Hiqa months before that? And it's a very brave thing she did, because it's not easy to pick up the phone or put something in writing and whistle blow. "And in her own words, she said, 'from my point of view, within the system, I cannot blow the whistle any louder. No one is listening.' So, fair play to her in fairness. She's really called out what's happened here.' The effectiveness of Hiqa had to be questioned, he added. Hiqa had been set up in the wake of the Leas Cross nursing home controversy to prevent such abuse from happening again. 'It's clear to us that they have failed to deliver on what they were set up to do. And there will be calls for further powers to be given to Hiqa, the Office of the Chief Inspector of Social Services, and that's not the answer here. Advertisement 'I'd be calling for an immediate, independent, root and branch review of how Hiqa carries out their inspections and their methodology. Because inspectors clearly need to spend more time observing care, speaking with staff, speaking to residents. "There's a huge amount of agency staff that's currently being used by Hiqa. Last year alone, they spent €1.89 million on agency staff. And you'd be wondering, what are agency staff doing within that organisation? "As I've said, a full review of the current leadership of Hiqa and its effectiveness needs to happen. And off the back of this scandal, you have the question, should there be some resignations here at the senior level?' Mr Scanlan called for stronger protection measures for those who make protected disclosures. How that person can be protected and what will happen immediately afterwards. 'I think there's a taboo still in Ireland about making a protected disclosure for the fear of what will happen afterwards. You know, you might be in a job, you may be thinking down the line of a future career, will this get out in the public? We need to really look at that as a country.'
