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He dreamt of a new life: Now he’s one more victim  Rory
Claxton was preparing to move from his home in Ireland to Britain when
he became the latest person to die on Irish roads. ELAINE SHERIDAN investigates
the continuing trail of deaths and injuries on the nation’s highways.
HE was a fun-loving 18-year-old who was looking forward to moving over
to the bright lights of London to start a new life.
His brother Declan had a job lined up for him on the building site where
he works and everything was in place for a fresh start.
But Rory Claxton never got to fulfill his dream move. Instead his body
now lies in Aughavale cemetery — another statistic of the increasing
carnage on Ireland’s roads.
The teenager was an avid Celtic fan but also supported Fulham FC.
He was looking forward to going to see his team at Craven Cottage once
he settled in to life in London.
He had been to see Fulham play once before and couldn’t wait to
become a full-time supporter.
Rory’s family are originally from Dublin but moved to Westport over
12 years ago for a better life in the countryside.
Parents Ann and Aiden wanted to leave Dublin in order to give their six
children a taste of serenity away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Everyone settled in to life in Westport but Rory had his sights set on
moving to Britain in order to better himself.
He had taken up a job at the new Tesco store in Westport so he could save
the money he needed for the trip over.
His brother Declan recalls how excited the teenager was at the thought
of making the move.
Declan said: “I was home at Christmas and that’s all that
was on Rory’s mind.
“He was so looking forward to coming over and spending time with
me.
“I had a job lined up for him — everything was set to go.
My wife and kids were excited that he was moving over and were counting
the days.
“Unfortunately as we know he never made that journey.”
Valentine’s Day will never be the same again for the Claxton family.
Instead they will always be reminded of that horrific night in 2008 when
Rory and his friends decided to go to the local McDonalds for a takeaway.
But they never made it. |
