Teen killed in hit‑and‑run on N69 mourned across Ireland

Rory O’Connor, a 17‑year‑old from Templeathea, Athea, County Limerick, died after being struck by a van in a hit‑and‑run collision on the N69 at Dromin Upper, Listowel, County Kerry, on Saturday 26 September.

He will be buried on Thursday 1 October at Holycross Cemetery, Athea, following a Requiem Mass at St Bartholomew’s Church at 11 am. A vigil will be held at the church on Wednesday 30 September from 6 pm to 8 pm.

Alan Browne, 37, of Elmsdale Crescent, Birmingham, England, originally from Skehenerin, Listowel, appeared before Cork District Court on Monday and was charged with dangerous driving causing Rory’s death, together with several other road‑traffic offences arising from the fatal collision.

Tributes have poured in from across the country. Rory’s father, Pat O’Connor, posted “Love you always Rory.” Templeglantine GAA Club described the loss as “untimely” and mourned the many friends who knew him from school. Athea Community Council shared a video of Rory, aged 13, reciting a poem he wrote for his former local GP.

Friends and strangers remembered him as “sweet and kind” with “his whole life ahead of him”. Parents elsewhere expressed heartbreak at another young life lost on Irish roads.

Rory is survived by his mother Mary Herbert, his sister Becky, brothers Dwayne and Brian, partner Natasha and other close relatives. Gardaí are appealing for witnesses, including anyone with camera or dash‑cam footage, and ask that information be given to Listowel Garda Station (068 50 820) or the Garda Confidential Line (1800 666 111).

Source: Limerick Post. Photo: jordan besson / Pexels.