Students planning poignant A5 cross display at Stormont

STUDENTS from St Ciaran’s College in Ballygawley will take part in a poignant ceremony at Stormont later this month, remembering all the lives that have been lost on the A5 road over the last 17 years.

A group of Year 14s will travel to Belfast to hand over dozens of crosses representing the 54 people killed on the stretch of road that has been dubbed the ‘most dangerous in Ireland’ since 2007.

Sadly, among them will be two crosses in memory of their friend and former school colleague, Kamile Vaicikonyte, and her boyfriend, Jamie Moore.

In April this year, the young pair were tragically killed on the A5, less than 48 hours after the school organised a special demonstration calling for work to start on the proposed dual carriageway.

Kamile, who was a student at St Ciaran’s College, had taken part in the event in the grounds of the school to show its support for the A5 ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign.

Later this month, on Thursday, September 26, the students from St Ciaran’s will present the crosses to Infrastructure Minister, John O’Dowd, on the steps of Stormont.

Mr O’Dowd is expected to recommend approval for the £1 billion A5 dual carriageway soon.

Each day, an estimated 2,000 people going to and from St Ciaran’s travel along the A5 and A4 routes.

As a result, the history of the school is invariably linked with both roads.

Teacher Pascal Canavan said the A5 road, in particular, had ‘taken its toll’ on the St Ciaran’s community.

He said, “Pupils, parents and grandparents taken before their time. We think of Darragh Horisk, Darren McAnenly, Leo McKeever, Peter Finnegan, Nathan Corrigan and Kathleen McGarvey, alongside many others who have been injured or impacted by this treacherous route.

“However, to list names and quote statistics does not do justice to the loss that is felt by families. Regardless of first anniversaries, the impact of grief remains. This is compounded by the fact that the carnage continues along the A5, and the road remains an open wound for all impacted.”

The school points out that there has been a 97 per-cent reduction in the number of road deaths on the A4, which has been a dual carriageway since 2010. It claims that this reduction is also possible for the A5.

“This would be a more suitable memorial for all those who have lost their lives on this road,” Mr Canavan added.