A 14-YEAR-OLD boy who died after a hit-and-run incident in Dublin on Friday is the second young GAA player from the area to be killed on the same road.
Conor Hickey from St Attracta Road in Cabra died on Saturday night after being hit by a car at around 5.40pm on Friday evening. The incident occurred at the junction of St Eithne Road and Fassaugh Road.
Tributes were paid to the teenager yesterday by his community as gardaí renewed their appeal for witnesses.
Séamus McGrattan, manager of the minor team at Naomh Fionnbarra GAA Club, Fassaugh Road, Cabra, where Conor played football and hurling, said club members were in shock. He said it was the second road tragedy to hit the youth team in the last four years.
In May 2007, 10-year-old Pádraig McGillivray died when his bicycle was in collision with a Dublin Bus, also on Faussagh Road, as he was cycling to hurling training.
Mr McGrattan said Conor had been with Pádraig on the day of that incident.
“Conor was knocked down 200 yards away from where that accident happened.”
Mr McGrattan said, “It’s the second time and it’s very hard for the team.” He said the GAA club opened its doors yesterday to enable its members to meet and come to terms with the incident.
“We’re very shook. We’re in the club now and there’s a gang of kids just arriving. We opened up the place for them and they are just writing messages on the walls.
“We didn’t plan it; it’s just that a lot of the kids arrived. It’s very sad.”
Mr McGrattan said Conor “was always happy, he always had a smile on his face. He’d always be here, he never missed training. He trained this week. He was the kind of fella that was very dependable.”
Fr Patrick Carroll of the Church of Christ the King in Cabra described Conor, who was a pupil at local gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire, as “a good lad.” He said the second-year pupil, who had also gone to the local Irish-language primary school, was highly regarded.
“He was into lots of good things like football, I believe, and boxing and skating. He led a full life. He was a good little lad.”
The priest said a large number of the boy’s friends, teachers and former teachers attended Masses at the weekend as they came to terms with his death.
“Huge numbers of young people attended Mass last evening at 6 o’clock and again today at 12. They said they were comforted by the care the congregation had for them.”
Parents, pupils, teachers and former teachers also gathered for prayers at the scene of the incident on Saturday night.
Fr Carroll said Conor had sometimes studied in Cabra Library after school and had done so on the day he was knocked down. The teenager died from his injuries at Temple Street Children’s Hospital on Saturday night.
Gardaí are appealing for anyone who may have seen the silver car which fled the scene to contact Mountjoy Garda station on 01-666 8600, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111.
