TRIBUTES have been paid to a young man killed in a motorcycle in County Limerick this past Wednesday night (April 9).
The victim, named locally as 33-year-old Jack O’Donoghue, of Askeaton, County Limerick, died when his motorcycle crashed on the N69 at Cloonreask, Askeaton, shortly before 8pm on Wednesday night.
No other vehicle was involved in the tragic incident, Gardaí confirmed.
Josh Sheahan, a local publican and a close friend of Mr O’Donoghue, paid a heartfelt tribute to him, saying: “We were best friends since playschool and he was an absolute gent. He always had my back and, like I say, he was a pure gentleman.”
“We were best friends all our lives and it is a massive shock,” he said.
Mr Sheahan said Mr O’Donoghue was looking forward to a going on a short holiday with his girlfriend to Rome this weekend.
“He was only out for a handy drive and an accident happened. He will be a massive loss to me, he was like a brother to me all my life,” Mr Sheehan said.
“He was a qualified electrician, he loved his bikes – he loved dirt biking, he loved his motor bikes, he was just a fierce easy-going chap, a normal everyday fella.”
Mr Sheahan said Mr O’Donoghue will also be fondly remembered by his friends and family as “a very good soccer player, and goalkeeper, which he had to give up because he damaged his knee”.
“He would have been 34 in October, and he will be a massive loss to the community.”
Local Fine Gael county councillor Adam Teskey said the Askeaton community was “in a deep sadness” at the sudden and tragic event.
“Our hearts pour out to all of the O’Donoghue family who are all well known and respected in Askeaton, there is an immense sense of sadness here,” Cllr Teskey said.
Mr O’Donoghue is survived by his parents, Mary, and Jimmy, chairperson of the Askeaton Community Council, and his siblings Ann and James.
The road remained closed on Thursday to allow a Garda Collision Investigator conduct a forensic examination at the scene.
Appealing for witnesses to the fatal crash, a Garda spokesman said: “Any road users who may have camera footage (including dashcam) and were travelling on the N69 near Askeaton between 7.15pm and 8.15pm are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí.”
Investigating Gardaí can be contacted at Newcastle West Garda Station (069 206 50), the Garda Confidential Line (1800 666 111), or any Garda station.
