Teenager dies after tragic accident in Kiltoom

The local community in Dysart is this week coming to terms with the tragic death of 19-year-old Jason Daly who died in a single vehicle road crash last Saturday morning. The remains of Mr Daly from Culleen, Dysart, South Roscommon, were laid to rest in Dysart cemetery after a funeral mass which was attended by a very large gathering of mourners - and young people in particular - at St Joseph"s Church, Ballyforan, yesterday. Mr Daly has been described as a very vibrant, likeable character who played Gaelic football with St Aidan"s and was a member of the St Aloysius schools panel which achieved All-Ireland success in 2005. He had been travelling to work at Ganly"s Homevalue Hardware on the morning of the accident, which occurred at approximately 10am last Saturday off the N61 at the Curraghboy Road, Athlone. The Ganly"s store was closed from 10.30am to 2pm yesterday as a mark of respect to Mr Daly, and in order to allow staff members to attend the funeral mass. A senior championship game between St Aidan"s and Padraig Pearse"s, which was scheduled for last Saturday, was called off as a mark of respect and St Aidan"s chairman John Carty said all at the club were deeply saddened by the tragedy. 'Jason was a good young lad who was very well-liked and he played at underage level with the club up until last year. It"s a terrible tragedy,' he said. Mr Daly attended Ballintleva National School near his home in Dysart and spent three years at St Aloysius College, Athlone, before completing his secondary education in Ballygar. Owner of Ganly"s Homevalue Hardware, Michael Ganly, said Mr Daly was 'a very nice character who got on well with his fellow staff. He always showed up, did his job well, and had a very likeable disposition. 'Thankfully we haven"t been accustomed to getting news like this but it was a terrible shock when we heard about it last Saturday. There are about 15-20 people working here who would be in his age group and they in particular felt absolute shock and disbelief. There are no words to describe it. Obviously our thoughts go out to his poor parents and his family,' said Mr Ganly. Mr Daly is survived by his father Michael John, mother Catherine, sister Michelle, brother Cathal, grandparents Michael and Una O"Brien, and extended family.