Road race motorbike rider killed in practice session

A WELL-KNOWN motorcyclist was killed at the weekend after his motorcycle hit a tree during a practice session for a race in Athlone, Co Westmeath.

The man, who has been named by race organisers as Andrew Neill (27), Newmills, Co Tyrone, had been taking part in the Walderstown Road Races near Athlone on Saturday. It is understood he suffered a fatal head injury shortly before 1pm.

Mr Neill was an experienced rider and won the 250cc race at the Bush Road Races staged by the Dungannon club in Co Tyrone last month.

Gardaí are investigating the crash, but said they will not be naming the deceased or entering his death in the road traffic fatality statistics because the road was not open to the public at the time of the incident.

Meanwhile, a 42-year-old French national died yesterday after he fell into the sea at Ballyreen near Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. The man, who is understood to have been living in Birr, Co Offaly, had been fishing from rocks when he slipped and fell at about 5.15pm.

The Shannon Rescue helicopter was only minutes from the scene as it had earlier been sent to Doolin to airlift a coast guard team to the Aran Islands to assist in the search for another man who was reported missing yesterday.

The man was taken from the water and treated on board the helicopter while being transferred to the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, where he died a short time later.

The Doolin Coast Guard were to resume searching this morning for a tourist who went missing off the coast of Inisheer in the Aran Islands on Saturday night.

The man, in his mid-40s and from Derry, was last seen on the Island’s main pier at about 10pm. Valentia Coast Guard said it was alerted to the incident at 2pm yesterday and initiated the search.

A woman was injured during an emergency landing of a light aircraft in a field near Enniskillen, Northern Ireland yesterday.

The woman, believed to be from Galway, suffered suspected spinal injuries when the plane put down in the field close to a hunting lodge outside Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh. Her husband, who was flying the plane, was not injured.

Meanwhile, a Galway man in his mid-20s, died in New York at the weekend, following a fall.

Brian Forde from Athenry was due to return home today. The exact circumstances of his death last Friday are not yet known and remain under investigation. Mr Forde, was a material technology teacher in St Raphael’s College, Loughrea.