The family of a young Co Down man, who died after a road traffic collision almost three years ago, are preparing to stage a charity tractor and truck run on what would have been his 21st birthday.
Cathal McCrory, from Dromore, was only 18 years of age and the front seat passanger in a car when the collision happened near Katesbridge on November 18, 2023.
The loss of the popular and much-loved young man – the youngest of four siblings – left Cathal’s family and many friends absolutely heartbroken.
But now his parents, Peter and Pauline, along with brothers Declan and Ronan and sister Niamh, are busy organising a fundraising event for an incredible charity which has helped them throughout their darkest days.
Cathal McCrory’s 21st Memorial Tractor & Truck Run will now take place on Saturday, September 5, with the Road Ahead NI to benefit from the proceeds. A raffle will also take place on the day as the family aim to raise as much money as they possibly can.
The big event, on what would have been Cathal’s 21st birthday, will be a celebration truly fitting of the young man and one of which the family have no doubt he would have approved.
Speaking to Armagh I, sister Niamh said they wanted to do something to honour a dearly-loved son and brother who meant so much to so many.
“Cathal has always loved anything to do with machinery, like tractors, lorries. We grew up on a farm, so he’s always been around them, and my daddy owns a lorry company as well,” said Niamh. “Cathal was a lorry mechanic before he died, and then he was going to be a lorry driver. He was going to take over from my dad, with my other brother, Declan.
A very special and fitting tribute to Cathal on the cab of a lorry.
“We just thought what would be a good way to mark his 21st birthday? We all just thought that a tractor and truck run would be the best because that’s what he loved.”
The Road Ahead NI is a Newry-based charity which offers support and practical help to families who have lost loved ones on our local roads.
Since the tragic loss of Cathal, they have been there every step of the way for Cathal’s family, who have decided to give back to such a wonderful charity for all that it has done.
“The Road Ahead have been amazing to us from Cathal died,” added Niamh. “ We didn’t know that they were a charity before all this, but when they came knocking on our door, they were just so supportive.
“They’ve been brilliant to us and we would be lost without the charity, so we thought what better way to raise money for them as well.”
The tractor and truck run will be assembling at and leaving from the main car parks at the Boulevard outlet shopping park, just off the A1 at Banbridge.
Registration starts at 9am and the procession is due to leave at around 12noon. During the course of the run, participants will also pass the spot on the Tanvally Road where Cathal tragically lost his life, and the pre-planned route will finish back in Banbridge.
It should make for a fine sight and all tractor and truck owners are invited to come along, sign up and swell the numbers, in the knowledge that they are helping to commemorate the birthday of such a well-loved young man and support a charity whose work is not only welcome but vital.
Said Niamh: “We are hoping for as many as we could possibly have. We were hoping for maybe over 100, just as many people that would come would be amazing, because it would just mean a lot to all of us as a family.
Cathal was never happier than when around tractors and lorries.
“There’s been a lot of work put into organising it and then it’s been very emotional organising it too, because it obviously would have been Cathal’s 21st birthday on the 5th. It’s been hard, so it would be lovely to see as many people as we could coming out for such a great cause.”
As well as the tractor and truck run, a JustGiving page is up and running and a raffle will take place too.
For the support shown to date, the family are immensely grateful.
“We’ve had a lot of donations from local shops and hotels who have given lots of vouchers,” explained Niamh. “All the family members have raffle tickets, so if anybody was to contact any of us they’d be able to get tickets before the day, but we’ll be walking about on the day selling them as well. We’ll be doing the raffle then on the day just before the run leaves.”
The JustGiving page, meanwhile, has raised close to £2,000 to date and Cathal’s family are delighted with that support so far, knowing that it will allow the Road Ahead NI to help others, in the way it has them, in the days and weeks to come.
“Everybody’s been very generous and anybody that we’ve contacted about donating things have all been very supportive and we’re all just very thankful for that because, you know, that’s what we wanted to do this for, just to keep Cathal’s memory alive, so it’s nice to know that you have the support in the local community to do that,” said Niamh.
“We just can’t thank the community enough. The last three years for us have been the hardest and everybody has been so supportive and we just can’t thank everybody enough. We would have been lost without the support. He’s remembered every day and we just miss him dearly.”
With the countdown now on to the big run, it will be an emotional day for all of Cathal’s family.
But they know in their hearts that Cathal would be giving a huge thumbs-up for their special 21st birthday plans.
“We think about Cathal every day; we were all very, very close as siblings, and all feel it every day that he’s not here,” added Niamh.
“We thought he would just have loved it. Any truck run that was going, Cathal was there, any tractor run, he would have brought the tractor, he would have just loved everything.
“I would say he would be just buzzing that there’s something with his name on it. Obviously it’s such a big birthday, your 21st, he would just love that we’re celebrating it in some way. Cathal was always happy. He always had a cheeky smile on his face, so he would have been just buzzing that we would be coming together on his 21st birthday and doing something that he would love.”
If you would like to donate to the JustGiving page you can do so here.
And to keep up-to-date with the plans for the tractor and truck run and learn more about what is planned, check out the Facebook page here.
