Dramatic scenes interrupt Confirmation

March 2003

THERE are dramatic scenes outside the Holy Family Church. A car chase, involving two garda vehicles in pursuit of a joyrider, ends in a collision as shocked crowds attending a confirmation ceremony look on.

Eyewitnesses say the offending car turns a corner, from the Inner Relief Road into Muirhevnamór, and crashes into a parked vehicle.

‘It’s a miracle no one is killed or injured. There is a large crowd gathered outside the church after confirmation,’ remarks a bystander.

‘People are talking and taking photographs when the crash happens right beside them.’

Children from St Joseph’s NS in Muirhevnamór and Scoil Mhuire na nGael, Bay Estate, minutes after the ceremony, are among those outside.

Confirmation, celebrated by Archbishop Seán Brady and Bishop Gerard Clifford, is over about 20 minutes when sirens are heard as the car comes off the main road.

A front wheel is busted, and the driver just about keeps control as he turns a corner and mounts the kerb.

The car is chased by two patrol cars, and it collides with a Ford Fiesta parked outside the church on Hoey’s Lane.

‘I see a few people in the vehicle, I don’t know how many, when it turns the corner, and it appears to be a man driving,’ continues an eye witness.

‘ There is a really loud noise from the car, as the front wheel is gone. People are just looking around in shock at what is happening.’

Cars are parked up on either side of the road, and the offending vehicle only stops when it crashes into the Fiesta.

Two men are due to appear before Dundalk district court in relation to the incident.