Plaque to be unveiled to commemorate men who died during triathlon

A COMMEMORATIVE plaque in honour of Slane man, Brendan Wall and Canadian, Ivan Chittenden will be unveiled later this month at Youghal’s Front Strand.

The two men lost their lives during last year’s Ironman triathlon in Youghal, Co Cork.

The commemoration has been organised by a committee drawn from the local community, supported by both families.

The stone plaque, fashioned by stonemason Adrian Budds, will be unveiled Saturday August 24th at 6.30pm at the spot where the swim challenge commenced on the morning of 20th August last year.

45-year-old Brendan Wall was originally from Cardrath near Slane but was living in Solihull in the UK.

The men had been taking part in the 1.7km swim portion of the event when they got into difficulty.

Both men were removed from the water by emergency services and were pronounced dead by medical personnel. The swimmers were among several thousand competitors who entered the water at the Front Strand in Youghal.

Brendan got engaged to his fiancee Tina earlier last year. He was a son of Oliver and Gertrude wall and brother of Martin, Joe and Maria.

He was a graduate of Trinity College in Dublin where he studied manufacturing and mechanical engineering. He also completed an MBA in the University of Hull.

He started work as a sales director at Top Tubes Ltd in Wednesbury in the UK in May of last year having previously been employed by Cavan based cutting tools manufacturer, the ATA Group.

Mourners at Brendan's funeral last year were told that the accomplished athlete “waved goodbye” with a “big smile” as he entered the water.

Addressing the congregation, Fr Gerry Boyle, parish priest, said Brendan “lived life with passion, vigour, energy and love”.

Fr Boyle said that the Grangegeeth man had “trained hard” for the Ironman competition.

“He also loved the physical outdoors sports and completed the London Marathon in 2012, The Ring of Kerry Cycle and the Gael Force Endurance Cycle. He trained hard and no doubt it gave him purpose and direction in his life.

“He had trained hard for the Iron Man on Sunday, he was really excited about it and he had a big smile on his face and waved goodbye as he entered the water. Tina and his family were there to wave him off as were his in-laws - it was an occasion of pride and joy. In a short time, that turned to sorrow and loss.”

An inquest into the tragedy opened with a short hearing last month, with State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster giving evidence that both men had suffered acute cardiorespiratory failure due to drowning.

The main purpose of the hearing was to enable the families to register the deaths.

The inquest was adjourned until 24th September for mention, when it is hoped that a date for a full hearing will be set.