A Co Fermanagh man has paid a moving tribute to his cousin and best friend who lost his life in a car crash in South Africa two years ago.
Former Fermanagh GAA player Shane O’Brien worked in the refugee branch of the UN and had been involved in refugee efforts in dozens of countries across the world.
He had been posted to South Africa for a number of weeks when he died in a road crash in December 2020.
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Shane’s cousin Ciaran Smith will be taking on the challenge of completing 10 lengths of every GAA pitch in Co Fermanagh this Sunday in memory of Shane and to raise funds for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
Ciaran told Belfast Live himself and his two brothers counted Shane as another sibling, and said his loss to the family and friends was immeasurable.
“Shane was never counted as a cousin, he was by name and birth certificate but he was a brother by everything else,” Ciaran said.
“It was so close to Christmas and everybody was really looking forward to seeing him and he was looking forward to coming back home himself.
“Shane always missed home anyway, he always loved coming back home and meeting up with all his mates and when he did get home he was driving across the country trying to see them all. That was him, he made it his duty to see everybody.
“He was and still is a massive loss to everyone. His mum and dad are coping but they will never get over it."
Ciaran added the time of year makes it particularly difficult for Shane’s family and friends, in the lead up to the festive period.
“Around this time of year it’s pretty difficult for everybody,” he said.
“You see on radio and TV and these things that Christmas isn’t all bells and whistles, it’s a time that you do reflect on people that aren’t with us any longer.
“I turned 40 two years ago on the 3rd December, and I'm like a big child, I would always make a big deal of my birthday.
“Shane then died on the 7th so the birthday just wouldn’t be the same any more, it just has a bit of a different feeling now.
“You never think that it’s going to happen to your own family, I would never wish that experience to happen to anybody.
“Don’t get me wrong, we still try to make the best of Christmas and I have two kids myself and Shane wouldn’t have wanted any misery. I know he would have wanted us to rally together and have a bit of craic, a couple of pints and sit round and tell stories.
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“So that’s what we do, we do that in memory of him.”
Ciaran will be starting his challenge at 3am in Roslea and finishing in Shane’s home club of Erne Gaels, Belleek later that day.
He said he wanted to do something outside the box for Shane, and said the family had been so appreciative of the work done by the Kevin Bell Trust during that difficult time in 2020.
“He’s always in my thoughts at this time of year. I always wanted to do something for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust to give back, Kevin came down and met with Shane’s parents and it just really hit home the amount of people across the country that struggle getting loved ones home.
“I wanted to do something for Shane this time last year, but it was just a bit too raw for me at that stage.
“I wanted to do something different and a bit unique and something that might catch the attention of people all around Fermanagh. Having played for Fermanagh he was well-known around the county.
“I’m doing it to raise awareness of the Trust itself, but also for Shane and his family to show that everybody is still rallying around - he’s not forgotten and he’s still in everybody’s hearts.”
If you would like to donate to Ciaran’s fundraiser in memory of Shane, you can donate here.
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