Mayo in shock after spate of tragedies

There is a palpable sense of shock and grief throughout County Mayo following the deaths of six people in three separate tragedies during the past seven days.

Tuesday, March 26th, will sadly live long in the memory after the county was rocked by two tragedies within a matter of hours. News broke early in the morning of a house fire in Swinford that resulted in the deaths of popular local couple Tom and Eileen Mahon (nee Cooper), who were both aged in their 60s.

Emergency services were alerted to the fire at the Mahons’ home at Deerpark, Kilkelly Road, at approximately 2am. The house was very badly damaged in the blaze.

Just as people were coming to terms with that tragedy, word began to filter through of a devastating traffic accident on the N17 near Claremorris. Una Bowden, 47, and her daughters Ciara, 14, and Saoirse, 10, were killed when their car was in collision with a lorry as they drove to their home in Moycullen, Co Galway, from Una’s native Donegal.

The new Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach-elect Simon Harris described it as “a dark day for Mayo” while Tánaiste Micheál Martin also expressed his shock and sadness at the tragedies.

Incredibly, a third tragedy was to strike the county on Saturday night last, March 30, when 17-year-old Vakaris Gudaitis was killed after he was struck by a car at approximately 9.20pm on the N17 at Barnacarroll, Claremorris. The incident occurred on the same stretch of road where Mrs Bowden and her children were killed.

The teenager’s death brings to eight the number of people who have lost their lives on Mayo’s roads in the first three months of 2024. Worryingly, that figure is two-thirds of the total number (12) for 2023. Even before last week’s road tragedies, Mayo coroner Patrick O’Connor was calling for work to be carried out on several accident blackspots in the county.

Funerals

The funerals of all six victims of the three tragedies will take place in the coming days.

There were heartbreaking scenes in Castlebar yesterday (Monday) afternoon as the remains of Una Bowden and her two daughters were taken from the mortuary at Mayo University Hospital to begin the long journey to Mrs Bowden’s native Donegal.

David Bowden, husband of Una and father to Ciara and Saoirse, is a project manager with the United Nations and had been working on a humanitarian project in the Tigray area of Ethiopia when he learned of the terrible news.

The Bowden family lived in Africa for several years before moving to Galway. Ciara was in first year of secondary school, while Saoirse was a primary school pupil.

The funeral mass for the Bowdens will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) at St Eunan’s Church, Raphoe, Co Donegal, with interment afterwards in the family plot in the old graveyard at Convoy.

The joint funeral of Tom and Eileen Mahon will take place in Swinford tomorrow (Wednesday). Tom was originally from Ballaghaderreen while Eileen hailed from Castlerea but they were much-loved members of the Swinford community where they owned a well-known business, Mahon’s Furniture and Flooring.

They are survived by their loving daughters Pearl and Claire, extended family and friends. The couple will repose together at the Cultural Centre, Swinford this evening (Tuesday) from 4pm to 7pm. Their funeral ceremony will take place tomorrow morning at 10am at the Cultural Centre followed by a private cremation.

The Requiem Mass for Vakaris Gudaitis, Tavrane, Kilkelly and formerly of Lithuania, will take place on Friday next. Predeceased by his grandfather Kestutis. Sadly missed by his heartbroken parents Renata and Nerijus, brothers Ruslanas, Faustas and Nojus and his sisters Karina and Vilte, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Vakaris will repose at St Colman’s Funeral Home, Lower James Street, Claremorris, on Thursday evening from 6pm until 8pm. Funeral will arrive to St Colman’s Church, Claremorris, on Friday for Requiem Mass at 11am, with removal afterwards to Shannon Crematorium for a committal service at 2pm.