Footballer now has reasons to be grateful for broken leg

Four months ago Meath footballer Michael Burke was devastated when he broke his leg in the Leinster quarter final replay against Laois but if it wasn’t for that misfortune, Michael would still have been living above the family’s pub in Longwood which was extensively damaged in a blaze last Friday morning. A schoolgirl was first to raise the alarm shortly before 8am on Friday morning when she noticed smoke billowing from the windows and roof of Stoney’s Pub in Longwood, as she waited for her school bus. Fire crews from Trim and Navan were quickly on the scene and had the fire under control within 20 minutes though crews remained on the scene for about two and a half hours. The Burke family lived above the pub until about 18 months ago when Michael’s parents Michael and Brona moved to a nearby house in the village. Michael continued living above the pub but moved back in with his parents in their bungalow after he broke his leg last June as he was finding the stairs at the pub difficult to manage. “I broke my leg and moved back in with my parents. It was a blessing I wasn’t in it. The smoke was so bad. I was only going to move back this week but was waiting for the heating to be fixed. If I hadn’t broken my leg, I would have been in there. The positive thing is that there was no-one there at the time,” said Michael. Shocked neighbours were fearful that Michael may have been still in the pub when they saw the thick smoke emanating from the building. They were throwing stones at the window to see if there was anyone inside and also got a ladder. Neighbour Joan Dargan rushed to Michael’s parents house and was relieved to find that the premises had been empty. Michael explained that the blaze began with the open fire in the bar and appears to have travelled along the chimney breast and set the nearby double doors on fire and spread into the ceiling to the living quarters above, where it caused extensive damage to the kitchen and living room. There was also some damage to the lounge and bar downstairs and Stoney’s remains closed this week until the pub can be cleaned up and repairs carried out. The Burke family would like to thank their neighbours, friends and customers for their help, support and consideration following the fire. Michael said in particular they would like to thank Fiona Brady, the schoolgirl who raised the alarm, and Padraig Coffey, Joan Dargan and Michael Weir, for their quick thinking. “They panicked and thought I was upstairs. The smoke was so bad it was coming through the upstairs and downstairs window and out the roof. Joan came to our house and was so relieved that I was not in the pub,” said Michael. He also thanked Trim Fire Brigade who he said were brilliant and were very quickly on the scene. Michael was up and preparing to go to Tullamore for his last x-ray on his leg when they learned of the fire early on Friday morning. Michael’s injury is well on the mend and he is now back doing gym work and jogging again and said he aims to be back in action with Meath for the National League in February.