A free concert and vigil will take place in Ballyvaughan later this week to mark the one year anniversary of the death of Jerry O Connor, who was killed in a road accident near Ballyvaughan last year.
The concert, which is being organised by Mr O’Connor’s widow, Helga Himmelsbach, will take place from 3pm to 4pm this coming Saturday, July 27.
Weather permitting, the concert will take place beside the main Ballyvaughan to Lisdoonvarna, on the site of Jerry O’Connor’s tragic death, exactly one year on from his passing.
Mr O’Connor died when his motorbike was struck by a French tourist just outside Ballyvaughan on July 27 last.
A section of the Ballyvaughan to Lisdoonvarna road will be closed between 3pm and 4pm on July 27 to allow for the concert and commemoration event to take place.
“July 27 will be exactly one year on from when Jerry was killed,” said Helga.
“I feel I have to commemorate the day and I cannot do so on my own, so I have asked local musicians to step in and to help me to shoulder that day.
“On the day I will have phenomenal support from some phenomenal musicians. They are all outstanding musicians, they perform all over North Clare and many of them perform all over Ireland and beyond.
“The musicians I spoke to know exactly where I am coming from [in terms of road safety]. They spend so much time on the road. They know that driving is really dangerous, especially in North Clare.
“I am hoping that the weather will be kind to us and we can have the event on the place where Jerry’s motorbike ended up, mangled.
“I am hoping that we can raise our voices heavenwards, because we need divine intervention to open the hearts and minds of Clare County Council and the councillors to put safety forward.
“It should have been done 12 months ago, hopefully it can be done now.
“Jerry was the first person to die there, but since then there has been many near misses and horrific injuries caused there.”
According to Ms Himmelsbach, not enough has been done over the past year to make the roads of North Clare safe for locals and tourists.
“Twelve months have gone by and not one sign has been erected saying to drive on the left. Not one arrow has been painted on the road to help tourists to drive on the correct side of the road. There are daily near misses with cars on the wrong side of the road,” she said.
“I have had three near misses, all of which were extremely scary. One took the wing mirror off the car, the other car never even stopped. I get the same feedback from everyone.
“The politicians say that Jerry’s death was tragic. Jerry’s death wasn’t tragic, it was ridiculous. It should not have happened. In any developed country which is asking tourists to come in, they make sure that there is appropriate signage, at the very least.
“This is an easy thing to do and it doesn’t cost much. The Cliffs of Moher, for example, made millions of euro last year. Surely there should be a few thousand euro for road safety. “I think that this lack of progress is putting all of us at death’s door. This kind of accident will be repeated and repeated over and over again.”
Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, investigative reporter and blogger who has been working in the media in Ireland for the past 20 years. His areas of special interest include the environment, mental health and politics.