A convoy of 50 Dublin bikers gathered in the city centre earlier today as part of a poignant tribute to see off the repatriation of biker Paul Ingram, who sadly lost his life in a crash on the M50 last month.
Mr Ingram and his friend Brian McFarlane, English holidaymakers who were touring around Ireland, were tragically killed in the crash on the M50 on June 3. Both men were life-long bikers and well-known among the biking community in Ireland and the UK.
Speaking to Dublin Live, organiser Mark Byrne said that he and the other bikers decided to do a guard of honour for Mr Ingram as his funeral cortege left Flanagan's Funeral Home on Aungier Street. He said: "I just said we'd do a little guard of honour for them as they're leaving the country.
Read more: Soiled nappies, glass and plastic dumped on popular Dublin beach during heatwave
"I'm a passionate biker myself and I drove by the scene when the accident happened, and it touched me. We're a biking community and I thought we'd do something nice for them," he added.
Mark explained that he posted about the escort on Facebook, and he said that he got a "great response" from members of the guards, fire service, ambulance, and defence forces. He said: "Everybody is coming along to it today and there will be another one tomorrow, so hopefully it's a good turn-out."
Another biker, Darius, said that they were keen to turn out today to show their respect for the two men who sadly lost their lives. He said: "We just would like to show our respect."
The convoy escorted Mr Ingram's coffin from Flanagan's Funeral Home on Aungier to Dublin Airport, and on Wednesday they will be at Dardistown Cemetery at 2:20pm for the cremation of Brian McFarlane, with his family expected to be in attendance.
Read next:
Hottest day on record in Dublin as temperatures hit 33C in the Phoenix Park
- Westlife's Nicky Byrne, Bertie Ahern and family evacuated while on holiday in Portugal
- The dog breeds at greatest risk during Dublin's heatwave
- Irish holidaymakers warned as Portugal in 'eight-day state of alert' due to heatwave
- Planning a holiday to Spain this summer? Here is everything you need to know
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
