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Crash was "bad timing" for my car
show 26.08.08
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Shaun vows to continue
with Port 'n' Polish
AN INISHOWEN motor
enthusiast said it was "bad timing" that a serious
crash involving teenagers happened just hours after
his charity car show on Sunday.
Shaun McGonagle who held his second Port 'n' Polish
event in Moville earlier that day said he was
disappointed to hear of the accident in Greencastle
that happened around 9pm.
Three young men were injured in the crash that
sparked a major emergency and resulted in two
ambulances, NowDoc and numerous Gardai attending the
scene.
"As far as I'm aware, the fellas in that crash
weren't at my show. When I heard about the accident
the first thing I asked was 'were they at the show?'
and a few people told me they weren't. That was a
relief to me. It would seem that it was just a
coincidence," said Shaun. |
The 24-year old car
fanatic from Ballybrack, Greencastle, explained
that, at his request, there was a strong local Garda
presence at Port 'n' Polish held in the Glencrow
Business Park.
"They made their presence known and drove by at
various times throughout the afternoon. They
remarked how well-mannered and well behaved people
were. Everybody left my show in an orderly manner,”
added Shaun. |
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The event raised around
€1,400 each for his chosen charities this year - the
Foyle Hospice and the Foyle Punt Association.
Shaun reiterated his point about the youth driving
culture in Inishowen.
"Obviously I can't vouch for every young driver in
Inishowen and I'm not saying boyracers don't exist
because they do. But I'm not a boyracer and I always
try to promote road safety whenever I can. People
shouldn't all be tarred with the same brush.
"People who are into modified cars spend thousands
doing them up. If your tyres are worth €2,000 you're
not going to be doing donuts to ruin them. People
who've spent a lot of money on their cars don't even
want to risk a stone chipping the paintwork," added
Shaun who drives a €17,000 Nissan Skyline.
Meanwhile, this year's show was even “bigger and
better” than last year’s. It attracted around 70
exhibitors and nearly 500 spectators.
Shaun vowed to continue with the event and hoped it
would attract young drivers who are keen to indulge
their passion for cars while staying safe and
responsible on the road.
He always intended Port ‘n’ Polish to carry a strong
road safety message and he even contacted Garda
headquarters in Dublin this year to invite them to
exhibit their official Garda Road Safety stand.
"They weren't able to do it this year but hopefully
the Garda Road Safety Campaign stand will be on
display next year," added Shaun. |
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