Padraic was ‘much loved and respected’
THE SCHOOL principal killed in a collision as he cycled to school last Tuesday was originally from Wicklow town.
Fifty-three-year-old Pádraic Carney was cycling down Butterfield Park in Rathfarnham from his Dublin home to St Louis Secondary School in Rathmines at 8.10 a.m. on Tuesday morning when a car collided with him at a junction.
The father-of-three received serious injuries and was taken to Tallaght Hospital and was pronounced dead on Tuesday night. The driver of the other car wasn’t injured in the collision.
Pádraic was born and bred in Wicklow town, residing on Market Street. A former pupil of St Patrick’s NS, he was the son of the late Jim and Noreen.
He is survived by his loving wife Áine and his three children, Cialann, Aisling and Laoise. He is also sadly missed by his sisters Mary, Anne and Noreen Carney.
He is predeceased by his sister Catherine.
His family expressed their ‘sincere thanks and appreciation to the amazing staff of Tallaght Hospital (Accident and Emergency) and Beaumont Hospital (Richmond ICU).’
Students and staff at St Louis Secondary School were left in complete shock at Pádraic’s untimely passing.
In a statement, the school said he was ‘much loved and respected.’
‘This is a terrible tragedy for Pádraic’s immediate and extended family, his wide circle of friends and the school community in Rathmines. We are all deeply saddened by his sudden and untimely death.
‘Pádraic was a wonderful leader in the school. His infectious enthusiasm for the job of teaching children and his warm and charming personality made him most popular with pupils, parents, staff and all who came to know him in his job.’
The statement added that his family had requested that their privacy at ‘this sad and difficult time’ be respected.
Hundreds of mourners gathered at the Church of St Pius X, College Drive, Templeogue, Dublin, for his funeral mass. Emotional students from St Louis Secondary School also performed a number of religious hymns throughout the ceremony. At the mass he was described as a ‘family man’ who had ‘touched the lives of many.’