Latest news with #Donegal
BreakingNews.ie
3 hours ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Woman (70s) dies after two-vehicle collision in Co Donegal
A woman has died following a two-vehicle collision in Co Donegal on Friday night. The incident happened on the R245 at Bunlin Bridge in Milford. Advertisement A female driver, aged in her 70s, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Her body has been removed to Letterkenny University Hospital where a post-mortem examination will take place in due course. The driver of the van, a man in his 50s, was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. There were no other injuries reported. The road remains closed at this time pending examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Local diversions are in place. Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to this incident to come forward. Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the area between 7.15pm and 7.45pm are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardaí. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milford Garda Station on (074) 9153060, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. Gardaí say investigations are ongoing.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Drowning of two teenagers remains an ‘open wound', funeral is told
The drowning of two teenagers off the coast of Co Donegal remains an 'open wound', a priest has said. The funeral of Matt Sibanda heard that the 18-year-old was 'undeniably wise and good beyond his years'. Matt, originally from Zimbabwe, died in the incident earlier this month along with Emmanuel Familola, 16, originally from Nigeria. They had been playing football when they went into the sea after a ball and got into difficulty. Matt's body was recovered from Lough Swilly while Emmanuel was rescued and taken to Letterkenny University Hospital, where he died. Both teenagers had been living with their families in separate international protection centres in Buncrana. Buncrana Parish Priest Father Francis Bradley told the funeral at St Mary's Oratory on Saturday that members of Matt's family had travelled to Ireland for the funeral to support his mother Bonnie. He said: 'Over the past three weeks there has been a lot of visiting going on locally. 'Especially in the light of the tragic events, the tragic deaths of Matt Sibanda and his good friend Emmanuel Familola. 'The events of the afternoon of May 10 last will remain with us for a long time. 'While some distance has been drawn now from those terrible moments, the loss of Matt and Emmanuel is still an open wound, a sore blow for all of us, but most especially for their grieving families. 'We are all struggling still to come to terms with the loss, still speechless at the suddenness of it, still heartbroken at the enormity of it. 'While the world has moved on in some respects, we are nevertheless still numbed by the sadness of what happened.' He added: 'From his earliest days in Zimbabwe through to his time here in Buncrana, Matt has always been recognised for his quiet but sociable presence, his smiling face and his great ability to always listen and respond with a deeply respectful and generous heart. 'In the building which became his home since his arrival here in late 2023, Matt was the eldest child and with his great gifts and talents, particularly the respect he showed to everyone, but most especially to his mother, he became a natural leader, a first among equals. 'He was undeniably wise and good beyond his years with an ability to sit with other children reading, debating and learning with great enthusiasm, always curious to know a little more. 'His surname Sibanda means lion. Our new Pope has taken the name Leo, which also means lion. 'Both Leo and Matt Sibanda shared something important in common, as well as their Catholic faith, their ability to listen to all sides of the debate, never judging, but helping all sides to reach a better solution. 'All of this stemmed from a profound respect for his mother. He always listened to her and he never, ever spoke back to her, even once, throughout his 18 years. 'A man of few words, a good and kind boy, a humble kid.'
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- General
- Irish Times
Buncrana drowning victim Matt Sibanda was ‘truly special' with ‘generous heart', funeral hears
Matt Sibanda, who died after getting into difficulty in Co Donegal 's Lough Swilly, was a 'truly special soul' who 'made others feel seen, valued and heard', his funeral has heard. 'That is a rare gift ... and one that touched everyone who knew him,' said Mr Sibanda's uncle, Buhle. The 18 year old died earlier this month with his friend, 16-year-old Emmanuel Familola, after they went into the water off Ned's Point in Buncrana, to retrieve a football. Originally from Zimbabwe, he, his mother and younger sister were living in the Co Donegal town. READ MORE His funeral Mass took place in St Mary's Oratory in Buncrana on Saturday morning. Pupils from his school, Crana College in Buncrana, formed a guard of honour outside the church alongside students from Emmanuel's school, Scoil Mhuire. Relatives from Zimbabwe travelled to Buncrana for the funeral. His family visited the scene of the tragedy before the service on Saturday. Other family and friends from Buncrana and from the migrant communities in Donegal and Ireland were also present. Commandant Joe Glennon, aide de camp to the Taoiseach , attended on behalf of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste , as did the chaplain to the Taoiseach, Father Daniel McFaul. Also present were Kevin Cooley, principal of Crana College, and the principal of Scoil Mhuire, Evelyn McLoughlin, and teachers from both schools, as well as representatives from the emergency services, including An Garda Síochána , the RNLI, Coastguard and ambulance service. [ 'They were Buncrana sons' – the Co Donegal lives and tragic deaths of two immigrant teenagers Opens in new window ] The requiem Mass began with the playing of the Zimbabwean national anthem. In his homily, parish priest Father Francis Bradley said Mr Sibanda was known for 'his quiet but sociable presence, his smiling face and his ability to always listen and respond with a deeply respectful and generous heart'. He and his family arrived in Buncrana in late 2023. 'He was undeniably wise and good beyond his years, with an ability to sit with other children reading, debating and learning with great enthusiasm, always curious to know a little more.' Fr Bradley said the teen had 'profound respect' for his mother and was 'a good and kind boy, a humble kid who would play with other children, always looking out for his sister'. 'He adored her, and she him. He would watch her when his mam was working. He taught her to ride a bike, he would play piggyback with her and chase her after school.' Mr Sibanda loved healthy food, exercising and lifting weights, Fr Bradley said, adding that he was a powerful swimmer. Fr Bradley also spoke of the impact of the double tragedy on the town of Buncrana, describing the loss of the two teenagers as 'an open wound, a sore blow for us all'. Mr Sibanda's uncle Buhle thanked everyone for coming 'to honour and remember' the life of his 'beloved' nephew. He said 'the pain of losing him so suddenly ...is something we are still struggling to understand'. [ Vigil for two teenagers who drowned trying to retrieve football from the sea Opens in new window ] He described his nephew as 'a humble young man, never one to seek the spotlight, never one to boast'. 'He moved through life with a quiet dignity and deep respect for others,' he said. 'Though his life was far too short, Matt left us with memories and moments that will live on forever.'
BreakingNews.ie
6 hours ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Drowning of two teenagers remains an ‘open wound', funeral is told
The drowning of two teenagers off the coast of Co Donegal remains an 'open wound', a priest has said. The funeral of Matt Sibanda heard that the 18-year-old was 'undeniably wise and good beyond his years'. Advertisement Matt, originally from Zimbabwe, died in the incident earlier this month along with Emmanuel Familola, 16, originally from Nigeria. They had been playing football when they went into the sea after a ball and got into difficulty. Matt's body was recovered from Lough Swilly while Emmanuel was rescued and taken to Letterkenny University Hospital, where he died. Both teenagers had been living with their families in separate international protection centres in Buncrana. Advertisement Buncrana Parish Priest Father Francis Bradley told the funeral at St Mary's Oratory on Saturday that members of Matt's family had travelled to Ireland for the funeral to support his mother Bonnie. He said: 'Over the past three weeks there has been a lot of visiting going on locally. 'Especially in the light of the tragic events, the tragic deaths of Matt Sibanda and his good friend Emmanuel Familola. 'The events of the afternoon of May 10 last will remain with us for a long time. Advertisement 'While some distance has been drawn now from those terrible moments, the loss of Matt and Emmanuel is still an open wound, a sore blow for all of us, but most especially for their grieving families. 'We are all struggling still to come to terms with the loss, still speechless at the suddenness of it, still heartbroken at the enormity of it. 'While the world has moved on in some respects, we are nevertheless still numbed by the sadness of what happened.' He added: 'From his earliest days in Zimbabwe through to his time here in Buncrana, Matt has always been recognised for his quiet but sociable presence, his smiling face and his great ability to always listen and respond with a deeply respectful and generous heart. Advertisement 'In the building which became his home since his arrival here in late 2023, Matt was the eldest child and with his great gifts and talents, particularly the respect he showed to everyone, but most especially to his mother, he became a natural leader, a first among equals. 'He was undeniably wise and good beyond his years with an ability to sit with other children reading, debating and learning with great enthusiasm, always curious to know a little more. 'His surname Sibanda means lion. Our new Pope has taken the name Leo, which also means lion. 'Both Leo and Matt Sibanda shared something important in common, as well as their Catholic faith, their ability to listen to all sides of the debate, never judging, but helping all sides to reach a better solution. Advertisement 'All of this stemmed from a profound respect for his mother. He always listened to her and he never, ever spoke back to her, even once, throughout his 18 years. 'A man of few words, a good and kind boy, a humble kid.'
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Mayo hurler David Kenny happy to focus on first love
It doesn't take a particularly giant leap of the imagination to picture David Kenny heading for Omagh this evening, instead of Croke Park. Well over a decade since he first lined out for the Mayo senior hurlers, he will be a mainstay of Ray Larkin's team again for this afternoon's Nickey Rackard Cup final. Mayo lost to Donegal in last year's decider so are desperate to atone and to secure a win that would return them to Christy Ring Cup activity. That's the level Mayo operated at when Kenny first joined the group, a dozen or so years ago, and the Ring Cup was a tier two competition back then. He went straight into that Mayo senior squad as a minor though was perhaps best known for his football exploits at the time, lining out in All-Ireland minor (2013) and U-21 (2016) wins. Stephen Coen captained both of those successful underage teams but while he'll line out for the Mayo seniors against Tyrone this evening, Kenny will be on small ball duty at GAA HQ. Not that he regrets the road he went down at that stage of his GAA career. "Diarmuid O'Connor, Stephen Coen, Conor Loftus, all of those guys were on the minor and U-20 teams back then with me," said Kenny. "There'd be a lot of other good players that wouldn't necessarily have maybe made the breakthrough as seniors. "But look, coming from Tooreen, definitely hurling was always kind of first for me. It's funny, you might pick football on some occasions and go after it but, in the heart, hurling was always first." Kenny is humble enough to clarify that he didn't necessarily turn his back on Stephen Rochford or James Horan's football panels. "I was in and out of (football) squads but never made the breakthrough," he acknowledged. Again, it isn't any sort of regret because if football was a passion, hurling was a vocation. Other talented dual players went the football route, at hurling's expense. "Shane Boland, our corner-forward, his brother is Fergal, who is with the footballers," said Kenny. "Fergal's a brilliant hurler too. Jack Carney is another man who was a brilliant hurler growing up. Jack Coyne, corner-back with the footballers, he's a very good corner-back, still plays hurling. He'd be extremely sticky. It's hard to see, as a hurling person, that quality and that talent not being available but it happens all the time, not just in Mayo." For all of the difficulties that the Mayo footballers are currently experiencing, it's still an appealing prospect for young dual performers. There are only three senior hurling clubs in Mayo, four if you include the St Ciaran's amalgamation which comprises players from more than half a dozen junior clubs. Kenny is optimistic about the future though. They had a pre-final meet and greet in Tooreen recently and there was a big turnout. He has noticed more younger players getting involved too. If the Mayo seniors could climb the hurling ladder, they would become an even more attractive proposition. And it's not beyond them. When Kenny first joined the seniors, they were a top end tier two team. "We played Kerry in a Christy Ring semi-final (2014), we were leading at half-time, we had home advantage in MacHale Park for whatever reason," he said. "We just lost out on that one in the end." Kildare went on to win the Ring Cup that year and faced Westmeath in a promotion/relegation counter to see who would compete in the 2015 Leinster championship. There's a distance to go now for Mayo to get back to those heights. Getting over Roscommon, whom they've already beaten in Round 1 of the Rackard Cup group, and getting out of the fourth tier would be a solid start. "Roscommon are a great side, physically very strong," said Kenny. "They're also very good in the air. They have lads like Brendan Mulry and Sean Canning inside, speed merchants. They've got a lot of threats but we'll do our best to hold them down."
