St Patrick's College in Kiltegan is marking the 50th anniversary of the death of former student Shaunie McLaughlin, who died on 22 August 1976 at age 21. The tragic multiple‑vehicle collision on the road between Fahan and Buncrana claimed three lives, including McLaughlin, and the college commemorates the event with a memorial service.
McLaughlin’s death was a shock to the local community. On the morning of 23 August 1976, the college was hosting a camp for the Derry Athletic club. The club’s assistant manager, Murray Gormley, and the author were on a small lake when they heard the founder and manager, Jim O’Hea, calling them ashore. Jim was accompanied by a Kiltegan priest and John O’Neill, who would later have a distinguished career with Leicester City and Northern Ireland.
The author, then 20, was flown home by his parents from Derry to attend the wake and funeral. The funeral took place at 61 Circular Road, where McLaughlin’s mother, Letty, sat in the far corner of the living room. The author describes the emotional moment of embracing and weeping with Letty, and the hour it took to reach McLaughlin’s bedroom where his coffin lay. The room was still adorned with posters of Pelé, Brazil and Leicester City, a reminder of the boyhood dreams they shared.
McLaughlin was an exceptionally gifted footballer. At the time of his death he was playing professionally with the League of Ireland champions, Dundalk FC. The author recalls watching McLaughlin at St Joseph’s Boys’ School, noting his ability to glide through a defence and unleash a powerful shot. A memorable moment was when McLaughlin struck a volley inside the author’s eighteen‑yard box, which the author saved.
McLaughlin’s influence extended beyond the pitch. The day after Bloody Sunday, he visited the author’s home and together they walked to the Bogside. They met Murray Gormley, and McLaughlin asked the author to tell Gormley what he had seen. This simple act of friendship became the seed of the Eyewitness Bloody Sunday book, which helped establish the new Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
The author’s visits to Derry continue. He follows a ritual of visiting his parents’ grave before walking to McLaughlin’s cemetery plot. McLaughlin’s marble headstone bears a photograph and the names of his father, John (Bruiser), younger brother, Pat, and mother, Letty. The author reflects on the laughter, the football, the journeys, the music and the dancing that defined their friendship.
McLaughlin’s legacy is captured in the motto the boys adopted: “I expect to pass through this world but once. Let me do any good or kindness now, for I shall not pass this way again.” The author carries this message forward, honoring McLaughlin’s memory and the impact of their friendship on his life and on the wider community.
