Friends organising tractor run in memory of Derg murder victim

THE family of Conor Browne, a father-of-one who was stabbed to death in Castlederg nearly a year ago, have released a heartfelt statement emphasising the deep impact of his tragic death on his three-year-old son, Cobie.

Conor, 28, was attacked outside a bar in the town last September and passed away two days later in the ICU at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital.

“Conor is missed every day by Cobie, who mirrors his father in so many ways,” the family shared.

They added that Conor had already missed a year of important milestones with Cobie and would continue to miss out on future moments, including special events like starting nursery.

As the first anniversary of Conor’s death approaches, his friends are organising a truck and tractor run next month, with all proceeds going to charity.

Peter Lynch, who frequently attended Tyrone GAA matches with Conor, said, “Even a year after Conor’s passing, I still find it very hard to talk about him.

“All his friends and family miss him so much.

“We just wish he was still here, making fun of us and keeping us going.”

With the first anniversary of his death approaching, Conor’s friends, Gary Short, Peter Lynch, Brian Quinn, Dicky Harpur, Ciaran Byrne, Peter McGlynn, John Spence and Gavin Cassidy, decided to get together to honour his memory with a tractor and truck run.

They have described him as a ‘funny, kind, and good-hearted’ person who loved to socialise and enjoyed everything to do with farming, lorry driving and machinery.

Mr Lynch, with whom Conor attended many Tyrone GAA matches, told the UlsterHerald that he still struggled to talk about his friend’s death.

He said, “I met Conor ten years ago, and we instantly became friends. We both had so much in common and we both loved everything – farming, trucks and machinery.

“Conor was a good, funny and kind-hearted guy, but he was also one of us; he was sarcastic and funny and always up to mischief in the best way. To be honest, even a year after Conor’s passing, I still find it very hard to talk about him.

“All his friends and family miss him so much, and we all just wish he was still here making fun of us and keeping us going.”

‘missed every day’

In a statement released to the UlsterHerald, the Browne family said Conor was missed every day by his three-year-old son, Cobie.

They said, “Conor is missed everyday by his three year-old-son Cobie, who is the double of his daddy in so many ways, especially their shared love for tractors and trucks.

“Already Conor has missed a full year of playtime and memories with his son and will continue to miss out on these in the future including many special milestones in Cobie’s life, such as starting nursery in September.”

All proceeds from the truck and tractor run will be going towards the charities, REVIVE icu and Air Ambulance NI.

REVIVE icu is the charity that raises funds for the Regional Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital, where Conor was treated before his death. The money raised to support REVIVE is used to purchase equipment, improve facilities and services for patients and their families, as well as supporting research and development projects.

Conor’s friends also wanted to include Air Ambulance NI for the fantastic work they do locally to ensure people from rural areas receive life-saving treatment as quickly as possible.

“Conor was farming and machinery mad and he had lots of friends who worked as either lorry drivers or in farming, so we couldn’t think of a better way to remember him,” Mr Lynch said.

The charity event will take place on Sunday, September 29, with the starting point at Ciaran Byrne’s yard (52 Strabane Road), heading for Castlederg, Victoria Bridge, Newtownstewart, Ardstraw and back to Castlederg, before finishing in Byrne’s yard.

After the run, a barbeque and refreshments will be held in MJ’s Bar, Castlederg, followed by a charity raffle and auction. Donations will also be welcomed and go towards the raffle total.

Each vehicle taking part in the run will be charged £20. Registration will take place at 12pm and the run will begin at 2pm.

To register interest in taking part in the tractor and truck run, or make a donation, you can contact the friends on social media at the Facebook page, CONOR’S Truck/Tractor Run.