A schoolbus driver who was a cousin of President Mary McAleese died in a collision in Co Roscommon yesterday.
Eugene McGreevy was killed when his bus carrying 26 school children collided with a van transporting reinforced steel rods at a bad bend near the village of Hillstreet, Co Roscommon.
Witnesses said a number of steel rods penetrated the bus window, causing catastrophic injuries to the much-loved driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mrs McAleese, who was very close to Mr McGreevy, her second cousin, travelled to Co Roscommon yesterday to comfort his two sisters, Nuala and Mary.
The dead man had won a number of safety awards during an unblemished 30-year career. The children on board were deeply traumatised but physically unharmed.
The driver of the van was named locally as Robert Taylor from Gurteen, Co Sligo, the father of Sligo Gaelic footballer Paul Taylor. It is understood he and his two passengers were on their way to build a shed in the area when they met the bus travelling in the opposite direction.
The schoolbus had 26 of its full load of 40 students on board when it collided with the van at a notorious bend. It was on its way to the community school at Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim.
Tommy Beirne from Hillstreet, one of the first on the scene, said the tragedy would have been of unimaginable proportions if the bus had left the road.
"He did well to keep the bus on the road. There was a very steep drop to his left," he explained.
Mr Beirne echoed the sentiments of many locals when he described Mr McGreevy "as a gentleman" who would never leave a child stranded.
Older children on the bus left their seats to check on the driver immediately after the collision and kept younger students back when they realised how serious the situation was.
Eibhlin Earley, whose 13-year-old daughter had boarded the bus five minutes before the crash, said parents started racing to the scene straight away. She said several students had mobile phones and raised the alarm.
The students were brought to Earley's pub in the village for immediate medical attention and then transported to St Patrick's Hospital in Carrick-on-Shannon.
Ms Early praised Bus Éireann for its swift response. A spokeswoman for the company paid tribute to Mr McGreevy, saying he had won a number of safety awards.
Ms Earley said there had been five minor accidents on that stretch of road in the past week.
Speaking at the scene, Sgt Rory Duffy, from Elphin, said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the accident. He confirmed the road was wet. The two vehicles collided at a bend on a narrow stretch of road about 9.5km (six miles) from Carrick.
Joseph Flynn, principal of the community school in Carrick, paid tribute to the driver, saying it seemed other lives could have been lost. He said counselling and other services would be in place at the school again today.
The van driver, Mr Taylor, was taken to Roscommon hospital while his passengers were taken to Sligo General Hospital. Hisfamily experienced tragedy in the past when his 16-year-old son, Bobby, was one of three teenagers who drowned in Strandhill, Co Sligo, in May 1998.
