Oldcastle lady (29) loses life in tragic road accident

A 29-year-old Oldcastle woman died on Saturday morning at Cavan General Hospital after she was struck by a car on the N3 Virginia-Cavan road as she tried to wave down traffic at the scene of a minor traffic accident. Mrs Therese McGowan from Loughcrew View is understood to have been travelling to Cavan from her home in Oldcastle to return a Christmas gift to a shop at around 10am when she came upon the scene of a minor accident where a jeep had left the road and gone into a ditch just north of Virginia. Mrs McGowan got out of her vehicle and was engaged in alerting traffic to the incident when she was struck by a car driven by an off-duty male student garda. The gravely injured mother-of-one was rushed to Cavan General Hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead there a short time later. A post-mortem was held at the hospital on Sunday. A motorist who had passed the area a short time earlier described how there had been low, bright sunlight that morning which had acted as an impediment to drivers. Mrs McGowan had been working for Quinn Direct in Cavan town and news of the tragic accident caused a great deal of shock and sadness both in Oldcastle and Ballyjamesduff, where many of the deceased lady"s relatives live. A minutes silence was held yesterday morning (Tuesday) in all Quinn Direct offices across the region. The car driver involved was arrested and taken to Bailieboro" Garda Station but was later released without charge. A file is being prepared for the DPP. Gardai are anxious to hear from anyone who was driving on the N3 north of Virginia between 9.45am and 10.15am last Saturday morning, 27th December. They can be contacted on (042) 969 4570. Deceased is survived by her husband, Finbar, and their young son. Many mourners attended both the deceased"s Loughcrew View home on Monday night and St Brigid"s Church in Oldcastle yesterday (Tuesday) for the noon funeral Mass, which was celebrated by Fr Ray Kelly, PP. Burial followed in the local cemetery on the Kells Road.