Shock after tragic deaths of mum and two friends

Shock after tragic deaths of mum and two friends

20 March 2019

THE tragic triple deaths of a young mother and two young men has left the community reeling from shock. 

Ruth Maguire, from Newcastle, and friends Shane McAnallen, from Castlewellan, and Martin Patterson, from Bryansford, died in separate incidents in the Carlingford area over the St Patrick’s holiday weekend.

The mother of three went missing late on Saturday night while she was out with a hen party. 

Her body was recovered from the water between Carlingford and Greenore on Monday.

Gardaí described her death as a “tragic event” and said there was nothing to suggest it was suspicious.

Mr McAnallen and Mr Patterson, who were both in their twenties, were killed in a car crash in the Cooley Peninsula, near Carlingford, in the early hours of Monday morning.

Their deaths, along with the loss of three Co Tyrone teenagers — Lauren Bullock, (17), Morgan Bernard (17), and Connor Currie (16), who were attending a St Patrick’s night disco in Cookstown — marked one of the most devastating weekends in Northern Ireland for years.

Ms Maguire was 30 and lived with her partner, James Griffin, and children Tyler, Lydia and Oliver in Burren Meadow in Newcastle.

Tributes from colleagues and friends described her as “a devoted mother who loved and cherished her children” and someone who was “intuitive and hard-working”.

She was originally from the Ligoniel area of north Belfast and was one of a party of 30 women who were on a hen party over the weekend.

The women were socialising in a bar when Ms Maguire got separated from the group.

Her friends raised the alarm through social media around 11.30pm when she did not meet them back at their rented house. 

The group do not know what happened to Ms Maguire after that. However, she posted a photograph of herself on her Instagram page at around midnight.

A major search got underway on Sunday involving the Irish Coastguard and RNLI crews. Newcastle RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat, Eleanor and Bryant Girling, was tasked to help in the search along with crews from Clogherhead and Kilkeel. It is understood that family members helped with the search.

Newcastle RNLI coxswain Nathan Leneghan offered the search party’s “deepest sympathy” to Ms Maguire’s family and commended the volunteer crews for their commitment and professionalism.”

For Philip Fusco, the principal of St Mary’s Primary School in Newcastle, the deaths were even more poignant as two of the deceased were known to the school. 

All of Ms Maguire’s children attend the school and Mr Patterson was a past pupil.

Offering his respects on behalf of the school and nursery unit, Mr Fusco said the school offered its “full support to Ruth and Martin’s families to try to help them through this time of tragedy”.

He said: “Ruth will always be remembered as an active participant in school life, including St Mary’s Parent Support Group, as well as a devoted mother who loved and cherished her children.  

“Martin left St Mary’s almost 10 years ago. However, he is still fondly remembered by all staff as a popular boy with a fun sense of humour.  

“It has been remarked that even as a young adult, he always made time to speak to his former teachers, such was his affable nature. Both will be sadly missed by all in St Mary’s.”

Bryansford GAC, where Ms Maguire coached U-6 players and both Mr McAnallen and Mr Patterson were former underage players, said it was “deeply saddened and devastated” to learn of their deaths. 

Tollymore Football Club also conveyed its sympathies as Ms Maguire was well-known and liked as a parent of one of their players.

Ms Maguire worked as a specialist community public health nurse assistant for the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust. 

A statement from the Trust’s School Nursing Service and the Children’s Health Directorate spoke of its “disbelief and much sadness” to learn of the sudden death of their “esteemed colleague”.

It added: “Ruth had worked within the school nursing team in the Down area since February 5, 2018. During this time, she established great friendships both locally and across the service and was a much loved and valued colleague. Her loss will be felt across the service for some considerable time.”

Ms Maguire was also a casual leisure attendant at the Newcastle Centre.

A spokesperson for Newry, Mourne and Down Council said: “Ruth was pleasant natured, intuitive and hardworking, who was popular with colleagues and customers alike. She was an asset to the team in the Newcastle Centre, and will be sadly missed by everyone who knew her.”

The accident which claimed the lives of Mr McAnallen and Mr Patterson is under investigation by officials from the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission who visited the scene on Monday evening.

It is believed that the car left the R173 Newry Road and went down an embankment.

Mr Patterson worked for Downpatrick groundworks firm C&P Flanagan contracts.

His employer, Mr Paul Flanagan, described him as a “good, straightforward lad”.

South Down MP Chris Hazzard said yesterday that the local community was “shocked” to learn of the three deaths. 

The Sinn Fein man added: “The thoughts of everyone in South Down and much further afield are with all families who lost loved ones in what was a sad and difficult weekend for the whole community.”

SDLP MLA Colin McGrath said: “In a time when many people were celebrating a national holiday, three families are mourning the death of their loved ones.”

Mournes Sinn Féin councillor Willie Clarke said it was “a sad and difficult weekend for the whole community” and praised the efforts of the emergency services to retrieve Ms Maguire’s body.