Community to march for justice in memory of Mia Lily

A march calling for stronger road safety measures and tougher penalties for dangerous driving offences will take place in Navan next month in memory of 16-year-old Mia Lily O'Keefe and other young lives lost on Irish roads.

The "March for Justice and Change" is being organised for Saturday 4th July and will begin at 1pm at the pedestrian crossing in Blackcastle where Mia Lily and her pet dog Bowie were struck by a car in April.

Participants will walk from the crossing towards Flower Hill before finishing at the Bull Statue in Navan town centre.

Organisers say the event is also being held in memory of Grace Gifford, Ryan Gibbons and "all children taken on our roads far too soon".

The march will call for stronger laws for dangerous driving causing death, tougher sentencing, greater support for bereaved families and meaningful road safety reforms aimed at preventing further tragedies.

Organisers are also calling for additional road safety measures in Navan, including traffic-calming infrastructure in areas where pedestrians regularly cross busy roads. Calls are also being made for tougher penalties in serious hit-and-run cases and greater accountability within the justice system in relation to sentencing for offences involving loss of life.

Family members, public representatives and community speakers are expected to address the gathering at the conclusion of the march. Representatives of Meath County Council, An Garda Síochána, the Road Safety Authority and local public representatives aer being urged to attend the event to engage with families affected by road tragedies.

Mia Lily's death sent shockwaves through the local community earlier this year. The teenager was out walking her beloved dog Bowie near her home in the Belcourt estate when they were struck by a vehicle on the Slane Road. Bowie was also killed in the incident.

A man was subsequently arrested in connection with the investigation and a file has since been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Earlier this year, Mia Lily's mother Louise Keogh O'Keefe called for urgent action on road safety and said more needed to be done to prevent similar tragedies.

"As her mother, I just feel like her country, the systems that should be in place, have let her down as somebody that hasn't done anything wrong," she previously told the Meath Chronicle.

Louise also called for physical traffic-calming measures on busy roads and urged drivers to recognise the responsibility that comes with being behind the wheel.

She suggested measures such as ramps, chicanes and other traffic-calming systems, saying similar infrastructure is in place in other areas but lacking on the Slane Road.

"There needs to be something there to physically slow cars down," she said.

"You can't just expect people to look at signs and abide by them — not everybody will."

She added: "People need to understand that a car is a deadly weapon and you are holding people's lives in your hands.

"It only takes a second for everything to change."

The upcoming march is being described as a peaceful, family-friendly event aimed at remembering those who have lost their lives while highlighting the need for chan