Mon 13 July 2015 – Injured girl taken away at Crumlin Rd roundabout. Pic: Cliff Donaldson
NEWTOWNBUTLER- BORN Passionist priest, Fr Gary Donegan found himself once more in the thick of things at Monday’s ‘Twelfth’ celebrations near the Ardoyne area after a young girl was run over by a motorist wearing a bandsman’s uniform.
He is rector of Holy Cross on Belfast’s Crumlin Road which the ‘Twelfth’ marchers are denied access to.
Speaking to the Herald, he reported that the young girl run over by the car was ‘not in any danger’.
The incident occurred when loyalist rioting broke out after thousands of Orangemen, bands and their supporters were stopped by riot police at police lines blocking entry to the nationalist area.
“Unfortunately, one or two drivers got through, flying flags and making provocative signs. It’s only by the grace of God we are not dealing with two or three fatalities because there were several people hit by the car.
“What people did not realise was that this wee lassie was lying underneath the car after it had been stopped and the driver arrested. Some of the local people and the PSNI saw these two feet sticking out from underneath the vehicle.
“Together, they lifted the car off her, and it was at this stage, I crossed through the peace line and went in. She was lying in a very awkward position, and you could see the mark of the rubber from the tyres on the back of her jeans. She was crying and asking why this man did it to her. She was calling for her mother and I felt she sensed she was dying.”
As colleague of Fr Gary anointed the young girl, Fr Gary rang her mother on the girl’s mobile. The girl was treated at the scene by paramedics, put in a neck brace and placed on a collapsible stretcher in an ambulance, with her mother watching.
Despite heightened tensions on the nationalist, Fr Gary made sure people kept their cool by borrowing a police loudhailer and appealing for calm.
“I told the people I had seen some very good leadership within their community and I asked people to desist. People did move back and I would have to say it was one of the most peaceful Twelfths on the nationalist side.”
But, his pastoral work doesn’t end there. For most of the past 750 nights, he has kept a nightly vigil to prevent nationalists provoking those manning the Twaddell Avenue checkpoint.
“Would you believe it’s costing £30,000 a night in police security?”
It’s all a far cry from Brewster Park on Sunday last where he watched Fermanagh beat Roscommon.
“It was one of the most amazing wins, one of the best ever. Absolutely. Ecstatic.”
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