This article is from page 12 of the 2009-05-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
AN EAST Clare man who lost his life in a motorbike accident less than three months ago has been remem- bered at a special Mass in memory of several bikers who have lost their lives in tragic circumstances.
Michael McInerney (35) died when his motorcycle collided with a ditch near Clarecastle, on February 28 last. He is understood to have lost control of the motorcycle before it hit WeTomenIKOee
The father-of-one had been travel- ling towards Kildysart at the time of the crash. A native of Caher, he lived in the Cahercalla area of Ennis.
He had a passion for motorcycles and was a member of the Banner Motorcycle Club in Ennis.
In his memory, the club was keen that he be remembered at the an- nual “Gone but not forgotten’ Bik- ers’ Mass in County Fermanagh on Friday night. Dozens of others who were killed in motorcycle accidents over the years were also remembered and candles were lit in their memo- iu oe
Mr McInerney was the chairman of the Banner Motorcycle Club for three years and won the title of Club Member Of The Year last year.
According to Paschal Shanahan of the Banner Motorcycle Club, Mr MclInerney’s death was a huge loss.
“He was a total gentleman. On the day he died, he was helping someone to fix a bike. He was gone to get a manual. He was a real character and will be sorely missed,’ he said.
“At his funeral, there were bliz- zard-like conditions and there were 180 bikes. It was a reflection of him. He was very, very popular,” he said.
A number of people from the club
travelled to Fermanagh for the me- morial Mass and the club has pledged to travel again next year.
The Bikers’ Mass has been run- ning every year since 2002. All of the coordinators have had relatives or friends killed on motorbikes and they were keen to ensure those peo- ple were remembered. Up to 1,000
bikers gather every year to support those families and to remember the bikers who have been killed in tragic circumstances.