Decision to proceed with Athy football match ‘insensitive’

A decision to go ahead with an O’Byrne Cup football match in Athy last night has been criticised by Kildare County Council’s road safety officer following the collision on Tuesday in which four young women died.

Ashling Middleton (19) from Athy and Niamh Doyle (19), Charmaine Carroll (20) and Gemma Nolan (19), from Carlow, died when the Volkswagen Polo they were travelling in was in collision with a transit van coming in the opposite direction on the N78 outside Athy.

Kildare County Council road safety officer Declan Keogh said it was “insensitive” that the match between Carlow and Kildare in the O’Byrne Cup went ahead.

“I understand some players had wanted the game cancelled but the board decided to go ahead with it,” he said. “I think it was ill-timed, insensitive and the game should have been pulled. I am not even sure whether a minute’s silence was observed at the beginning of the match or not.”

Mr Keogh added that he hopes the GAA will reconsider holding matches “so close to tragic circumstances” in future.

A spokesman for the GAA said it had no role in the organisation of O’Byrne Cup matches and that it was a matter for the Leinster Council. A spokesman for the Leinster Council said it had no comment.

Kildare County Board secretary Kathleen O’Neill said a minute’s silence was held before the game and the names of the four victims were read out.