Marion recalled the escape from timber incident

Procession on July 1st

I ran this story recently - a piece from May 1968 - and wondered what became of three girls who had a miraculous escape from death one Wednesday afternoon, when a load of timber fell from an articulated truck as the vehicle rounded the turn from North Quay into Shop Street.

The girls, Marion Reynolds (14). 11 Ascal a Do.; Therese Norris (15), 45 Ascal a Do.; and Margaret Heeney .(14), 51 Ascal a Do; wore returning to work at the time. They were coming around the corner at North Quay when one of them saw a rope snap on the lorry, the pile of timber began to slide and the girls had to run for their lives. They managed to escape by inches.

Marion (now Gaffney and resident in Dunleer for 41 years) got in contact to say she remembered the incident well.

She worked on John Street and rembered the timber falling.

‘People rushed over and started moving the timber because they thought we were under it,’ she stated.

All the national papers arrived on their doorstep looking for the story of their miracle escape. THE annual festival day of St. Oliver Plunkett is Sunday 1st July and there will be a Procession from Holy Family Church, Ballsgrove at 3p.m. to St. Peter’s Church West Street for Mass at 4p.m.

All welcome.