Bypass decision tinged with sadness as locals recall past tragedies

While there was delight in Slane at the news the long awaited bypass of the village had gotten the go ahead, it was tinged with sadness as local people recalled the many lives lost on the steep descent to Slane bridge.

At least 23 people have died in car accidents in the village and the white crosses on the northern descent to the bridge are a stark reminder of that.

Many others suffered terrible injuries and the local community was traumatised by every one of those accidents.

Of the 23 killed, 12 were local people - Paddy Cassidy, Richard Crinion, Packy Darby, Sean Gallagher, David Garvey, Peter Harding, Mary Harding, Toddy Harding, Myra McGuirk, who was well advanced in pregnancy, Patsy Proudfoot, Michael Wogan and James Gargan.

The tragic death of two year old local toddler, David Garvey, in 2001 saw safety measures such as the separate lanes for cars and trucks on the descent to the bridge introduced.

David died when a truck crashed into the rear of the car driven by his mother as they waited for a green light to cross Slane bridge. Some years previously two people were trapped in the car following a collision and their car exploded following the impact.

On another occasion, a HGV failed to negotiate the sharp turn onto the bridge. On its side, it slid along the parapet towards the centre of the bridge before tumbling into the river, 12 to 14 feet below. The driver did not survive. Two days later the operator of the crane used to lift the wreckage from the riverbed lost his life when the crane toppled into the river.

Many others had narrow escapes. In one incident a four year-old girl and her two year-old sister in her pram were both trapped for an hour or so under an articulated truck. A heavily laden articulated truck being towed by another truck jack-knifed. The girls' mother couldn't pull her children up a steep bank in time. The four year old suffered some lasting injury. The two year old was miraculously unhurt.

A team of juvenile footballers from Ballincollig in Cork had to escape out the back window of their bus which ended up dangling a bus dangling over the edge of the bridge.

Over the years, trucks crashed through the parapet into the river or the canal, trucks overturned losing their loads in the process, trucks deliberately crashed in the village itself into any obstacle, such as steps, walls, poles, or gateways, that would stop their uncontrolled progress downhill.

In 2009, it was a miracle nobody was killed when local parents were caught up in a terrifying accident which involved two trucks and five cars, which saw a HGV plough into the rear of another smaller truck which, in turn hit the cars, some of whom were returning from the 'school run'.