FAMILY AND friends of murdered Limerick rugby player Shane Geoghegan will mark the first anniversary of his death today.
Mr Geoghegan (28) was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity on November 9th last year as he made his way home from watching a rugby match with friends in Dooradoyle in Limerick.
A 24-year-old Dublin man has been charged with his murder and is due to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court next April.
The Geoghegan family will remember him this evening at a private anniversary Mass at Garryowen Rugby Club where Shane captained the thirds team.
The captain’s number three jersey remains “retired” whenever the Garryowen thirds take to the pitch, and his favourite training jersey has been framed by his team-mates and mounted over the back door of their dressing room.
“We were hugely traumatised by the loss of Shane at the time and we are feeling it every day,” said Eoghan Prendergast, honorary secretary of Garryowen RFC. “It is a deeply felt loss in the club and we are going to be feeling that for a long time to come.
“Primarily our thoughts are with Shane’s mother Mary and his family at this time,” Mr Prendergast continued.
Last month the Shane Geoghegan Trust was launched at the club by the chief executive of Sunderland FC Niall Quinn.
The aim of the trust is to provide children across Limerick with an alternative to criminal behaviour by making a range of sports and activities accessible to them.