HEARTBREAK
Tragic loss of 26-year-old John in quad bike accident while working on family farm
THE COMMUNITIES of Coolgreany and Castletown were united in grief on Saturday as they paid their final respects to John Kennedy.
Twenty-six-year-old John, pictured right, died in a farm accident in Moneyribbon on Wednesday morning. The young farmer was rounding up cattle to bring them in for milking when the quad bike he was driving overturned into a water filled dyke trapping John beneath it.
The son of Donal and Winnie Kennedy John had a keen interest in farming and working on the family farm.
One of four sons, John was a very popular man and played both football and hurling with Castletown Liam Mellows GAA club.
EVERYONE ONLY HAD NICE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT JOHN. HE WAS A REALLY NICE GUY, VERY UNASSUMING AND HARD WORKING.
A POPULAR man with a warm smile is how John Kennedy will be remembered.
The 26-year-old died tragically following a farm accident on a quad bike on his father’s farm in Moneyribbon, Coolgreaney, early on Wednesday morning,
John from Askinch, Coolgreaney, was helping his father milk their dairy herd when the accident occurred. John went to round up a second lot of cattle leaving his father Donal to carry on the milking process in the parlour.
However, he failed to return with the cattle and his father became worried. He went back to the fields to search for his son but could not see him.
One neighbour said: ‘John’s father Donal was searching the fields but could see no sign of him. The fact that the engine of the quad bike kept running, it was this noise which led him towards a ditch and dyke. On reaching the dyke, which was full of water, he became aware of the quad bike. Having lifted the quad bike he found John underneath.’
He immediately called the emergency services who raced to the accident site. However, John was pronounced dead at the scene and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) were notified and launched an investigation.
Mark Ryan from the HSA said John’s death was one of two fatal farm accidents which occurred last Wednesday.
‘There have been two fatal accidents on farms. The details, as we understand them, are; A man in his 20s was killed in Moneyribbon, Co Wexford, when a quad he was driving overturned into a ditch. The other fatality occurred in Fiveally near Birr, Co. Offaly when a farmer in his 70s died after being struck by a tractor. We have sent inspectors to the scene of both accidents and investigations are under way.
‘Once an investigation begins we cannot make any further comment.’
He said that these deaths bring to four the number of farm fatalities this year.
It is understood that John died from drowning in the waterlogged dyke.
A popular man, John was one of four sons to Donal and Winnie Kennedy who are large dairy farmers. John himself had a keen interest in farming and in addition to working on the family farm he also did some farm relief work in the area.
Described as a ‘ big, strong fella’, John played both football and hurling with nearby GAA club, Castletown Liam Mellows and as news of his death emerged the club closed both pitches and the indoor arena in the days following his death as a mark of respect.
Similarly the St Patrick’s Day parade in Coolgreaney was cancelled as a mark of respect to both the Kennedy and Byrne families who are exceptionally well regarded in the North Wexford area.
One local, Jack Kavanagh, said the parish has been left numb as a result of the accident.
‘John and his brother Colin played with the Castletown club. The family are highly regarded in the parish. This is a devastating blow for the family, but the parish will unite around them in their support.’
It is understood that this is the second farming accident to befall the Kennedy family with John’s granduncle, John Kennedy, also dying in a farm accident in the late 1980s.
A former pupil of Coolgreaney National School and Gorey Community School, John was a very well liked student.
Principal of Gorey Community School Michael Finn said John had made a very positive impact in the school.
‘Everyone only had nice things to say about John. He was a really nice guy, very unassuming and hard working.
‘He was a very good student, well behaved and well liked. He was a popular student with his classmates and teachers alike and got on well with everyone.’
John who also spent a number of years working in the agricultural sector in Australia and had recently returned home to take up employment in Cork.
John is survived by his heartbroken parents Donal and Winne, partner Antoinette, brothers Daniel, Mark and Colin, grandparents Dan and Betty Kennedy, nephew Daniel, niece Casey, uncles, aunts, cousins, extended family, relatives and his wide circle of friends. He is predeceased by his grandparents John and Margaret Byrne.
His remains reposed at the family home in Askinch with removal on Saturday to St David’s Church, Johnstown, for funeral Mass with burial afterwards in Ballyfad Cemetery.