This article is from page 7 of the 2014-09-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 7 JPG
THE community of Ballyea was plunged into mourning last week following the death of father of five Gerard O’Connell.
Mr O’Connell died following a farm accident in Ballyea last week.
Just before 10pm on Wednesday night, Gardaí and emergency services were called to a farm in Ballyea where the 57 year old was fatally injured in an incident, believed to have involved a tractor and trailer.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, which was sealed off.
The Health and Safety Authority were informed of the incident and an investigation commenced when a HSA inspector visited the site on Thursday.
It is understood the deceased was loading cattle into the trailer at around 7pm when the accident occurred.
His body was later discovered at the scene by a family member.
One local described Mr O’Connell as an “absolute gentleman”.
“It’s an awful thing to happen. He was a lovely man, a hard worker and an absolute gentleman.”
Mr O’Connell’s son Gearóid is a member of the Clare U21 hurling side that will play in the All-Ireland final against Wexford on Saturday. Another son, Paddy, is also well known club hurler and footballer.
The tragedy is the second to take place on a farm in Clare in a fortnight.
On August 20, a 38-year-old single man died while he was fitting a wheel to a vehicle near his home in Liscannor.
The chairman of the Clare IFA, Andrew Dundas, expressed his condolences to the O’Connell family on their tragic loss.
“This was certainly a very sad case,” he said.
Mr Dundas said farm safety has been at the top of the IFA’s agenda in recent months.
Mr Dundas said it is important farm families get together and compile a safety audit of their farm and farm practices to identify areas that may be of concern.
Mr Dundas said the association is also concerned by the growing number of farmers who are working longer hours in order to earn a living.
“Certainly that is something that we are hearing again and again. People feel that they have to work longer and longer. Very few people can make a living directly from farming so you find people are working a lot longer,” he explained.