Beside the historical Dublin-Belfast highway in Co Louth, two stone monuments stand opposite the Monasterboice Inn, also referred to as Donegan’s. Despite the road having a 60km/h limit, most drivers don’t decelerate enough to take notice.
One monument is a tribute to the young life of Shane Whelan, who, at 19, was tragically killed whilst making his way from the Inn to his grandmother’s residence, a little over a decade ago.
Merely 10m away from Shane’s marker, across a small lane, lies a second stone honoring his grandfather, Don McCullough. Don was similarly struck down on the same dangerous stretch of the highway on May 4th 1991, which happened to be his 51st birthday.
Unfortunately, the McCullough family dealt with more than just these two heartbreaking events. Between the two aforementioned landmarks and down the lane resided the McCullough’s residence. Here, in 1982, Séamus McCullough, then a baby of just 17 months, lost his life after stepping into the path of a milk van.
Shane’s mother, Bernie Whelan, expressed the profound effect of these three misfortunes on the family, “We’re completely shattered. Our lives are forever altered,” she voiced, “We constantly reminisce about what Shane and Daddy [Don] missed out on in our families. They played such crucial roles in our family and also the wider community.”
On the 27th of October, 2013, Shane Whelan was at his uncle’s stag do at the Monasterboise Inn. He decided to drop his bags off at his grandmother’s before the tragedy struck and he was fatally hit by a car.
His mother fondly remembers, “Shane had a zest for life”. He had won the minor player of the year award in 2012 with his local football team, Naomh Mairtin. He also held a part-time job at the Monasterboise Inn whilst studying sports and recreation at the Drogheda Institute of Further Education. He had his whole life awaiting him.
A memorial stone erected in honour of Shane, on the 10th anniversary of his tragic passing, he would’ve been 30 years old today. His family commemorates him with a mass and a home gathering on Sunday. Mrs Whelan, who has lost her father, son and brother to road accidents, is acutely aware of life’s delicate balance and the ruinous impact of poor judgment on the road.
The family later learnt that the traffic signals on the road where Shane lost his life in 2013, had not been functioning for three years. Also, this road was previously the site of a fatal accident in 2001, where a couple due to emigrate to Australia the following day, lost their lives just meters away from where Shane had his accident.
Fighting to prevent future road tragedies, Mrs Whelan is an active advocate for multiple actions. Last year, a collision damaged flash lights indicating a 60 km/hr limit, which are yet to be replaced. In the same vicinity, a set of traffic lights operates in a puzzling manner. While one side allows vehicles to cruise when green, the opposite side shows red simultaneously. Mrs Whelan fears this could mislead pedestrians into believing the crossing is clear at both ends, risking colliding with oncoming traffic.
To address her concerns, Mrs Whelan approached Alison Comyn, the Fianna Fáil candidate for Louth in the general election, citing her frustration with the standstill. In her words, “This has been an ongoing issue for a year, and still nothing is being done about it. It’s an accident waiting to happen and I dread the thought of other families enduring what we have been through.”
Ms Comyn has taken action by requesting an immediate inspection of the road by the council, followed by any necessary corrective steps.