‘Jimmy was such a big character; he’s so deeply missed by us all’

A grief-stricken Buncrana family has helped to raise an incredible €30,000 for good causes in memory of a much-loved and forever-missed son, brother, and uncle.

Jimmy McKenna was killed instantly after being struck by a car while walking home with a friend from a night out in June 2024. He was just 25 years old with his whole life ahead of him when he died.

“The world is moving on, but we are stuck on the 9th of June, 2024. That night will never leave us; the phone call, the wailing of crying, the sheer trauma. It has had a devastating impact on us all,” says heartbroken mum Michelle, for whom life will never be the same again.

Jimmy’s bedroom still sits intact, almost exactly the way he left it, fifteen months on from his tragic and sudden passing.

“I find it very, very tough going in there; you can still smell his scent. His broken watch from that night sits there, and his wallet, which we got back from the guards. I sit and kiss and hug them, knowing they were the last items he had on him when he lost his life,” Michelle says.

“There’s a comfort being in there, near his personal items. But it’s a place where I cry a lot too.”

The McKenna family has already endured two birthdays without Jimmy, and this year on August 22, on what would have been his 27th birthday, they presented three big cheques in his memory.

“Jimmy loved giving, so it’s fitting to help others to mark his anniversary and birthday. He would be ‘buzzing’, as he’d say himself,” smiles Michelle.

Poignantly, his birthday celebration last month took place at the graveside in Cockhill.

“As a family, we celebrate all kinds of things together, and for each birthday there’s always a balloon and a cake. This year was no different. We all went to the grave at 6pm. We had a wee cake with candles, and we all stood around singing Happy Birthday to Jimmy – and the two grandchildren blew out the candles.”

“They then released two balloons and we sat and chatted, having the craic, as we would do at home. Jimmy’s favourite food was Chinese for a Friday night treat, so we headed home and had a lovely Chinese in his memory.”

There are fleeting bright spots – and raising money to help others has certainly helped the family cope – but the pain of Jimmy’s loss is unrelenting, particularly given the tragic nature of his death.

“It’s been tough. It’s been challenging, and every time there’s another accident, it brings it all back, as you know the pain and trauma that the family will be going through. Because we have been there,” Michelle says.

The grief-stricken mum visits her son’s grave every day, sometimes up to four times in a single day. She yearns to be near him.

“It’s lovely at night to go out and sit with him and chat about my day, about what’s happening. I always pray to him to look after us all.”

“We have Jimmy’s photo enlarged and framed in our kitchen. That’s where the hub of the home is, and it was Jimmy’s daddy’s idea to put the photo there, so that he will be part of the family gatherings. He’s everywhere in the house, but the largest picture is in the kitchen.”

“He was just such a big character; he’s so deeply missed by us all. It’s such a loss and hard to accept that he’s not with us.”

Michelle reveals how Jimmy is talked about every day. He will always be alive in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.

“Jimmy was such a character. He was never in bad form; he loved life. Having Jimmy around you made everyone in his company happy; it was a laugh a minute. He had such a big heart; he was always helping others, any time, day or night.”

“The grandkids know who he is. We tell them daily while pointing at his picture. They ask ‘Where is Uncle Jimmy?’ – and we tell them he’s in heaven. They know, and will continue to know, that they have an uncle Jimmy in heaven watching over them.”

The McKenna family has been completely overwhelmed by the support they have received during the recent fundraiser for Jimmy, which has resulted in €10,000 each for the Buncrana Parish, Hughie’s Corner, and the Friends of Letterkenny Hospital.

“The amount of €30,000 is just unbelievable. It’s a great achievement but it wouldn't have been possible without all the kindhearted people out there in the community,” adds Michelle.

“People are just so kind, supportive, and it has meant everything to the McKenna family. It has helped us in the grieving process, knowing we helped raise so much in our son and brother’s memory.”

Michelle has shared a story about Jimmy to underline his caring and generous nature.

“Jimmy loved being able to assist and help others, like giving an elderly person a lift with shopping, taking them home, or simply having a chat. The number of people who have told me stories of his generosity is unbelievable.”

“There was one wee story, I was told . . . this little elderly lady was walking out the Cockhill Road with two bags of shopping. Jimmy stopped and asked her if she wanted help with her bags and a lift home.”

The woman was hesitant to accept a lift at first, as Michelle further explains.

“But then Jimmy said: ‘Ah, you know my aul boy James McKenna and my ma is Michelle McKenna.’ The wee lady knew who he was then and felt comfortable accepting a lift home. That is just one of many stories about him.”

Michelle always had it in her mind to do something to mark the first anniversary of her son’s death.

“I would lie in bed at night crying over the loss of my beautiful, fun, caring, lovable son, and then I started to move my mindset to doing something positive in his memory. Anyone who knows me will know that I love the 200-plus draws, so I decided that I would tell the family my idea, and how I would run it 10 weeks out from his first anniversary.”

“They helped me with the presentations of the cheques on his birthday, and of course, they fully supported me and helped me organise it all. It took a lot of work, but it was so worth it in the end.”

She explains why the three particular charities were chosen, including Hughie’s Corner, a child and adolescent counselling service set up in memory of Hugh Simpson Callaghan.

“I wanted to give to a charity that supported road traffic victims’ families, and my staff at Shelly’s had already done a skydive shortly after Jimmy lost his life in aid of the Irish Road Victims Association.”

“I had recently seen Hughie’s Corner in Carndonagh was starting up a support group for families of road traffic victims along with other services they offer, so I got in contact with the group and decided to support them with their services, as it will help Inishowen/Donegal people young and old – and, as we know, there are a lot of families affected by road fatalities here. We are sadly only one family of so many.”

The next €10,000 went to the Buncrana parish church building fund, as Michelle further outlines.

“I have great faith in Fr Bradley, who went to Moville on the night of Jimmy’s accident to give him the Last Rites and to support Jimmy's daddy James at the scene, as well as all of us in the days to follow. I always believe that if you give to the Church, you get it back in other ways.”

“Jimmy had recently gotten a tattoo of Our Lady on his upper arm and started to wear a miraculous medal, so the Church was an ideal charity to donate to. It will help with the work to be done and will benefit those who attend the churches, etc, for many years after it is completed.”

The third beneficiary was the Friends of Letterkenny University Hospital, which Michelle describes as “the ideal choice”.

“I spoke to their chairperson Paddy Rooney and he was delighted. The money will assist with cancer patients travelling to Dublin or Galway for treatments, as well as buying equipment needed for day surgery – and with anything really that’s needed in the hospital, it will benefit a lot.”

“I did ask Paddy if they could look into buying a few recliner chairs for the A&E for the elderly at night to use so they can have a wee nap while they wait for treatment, sometimes all night.”

“I was in with my mum recently, and she had to sit in a wheelchair all night with a few others in their elderly years; it’s not easy when you're dozing off and your head keeps falling forward. So that gave me the idea of the recliners to make their night a bit more comfortable.”

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Michelle says the comfort that it gives her family – to be able to donate €30,000 to three important charities – is “immense”.

“Jimmy would be so proud,” she adds.

Life is tough without him, but Michelle and her family have incredible bravery and resilience.

“We still have to function. Work is very busy – we are opening our third creche in Buncrana in the next few weeks – that’s all a distraction from it. We try to keep busy.”

“I am kept busy with my two granddaughters, Erin (two years-old) and Kate (18 months).”

Baby Kate was only eleven weeks old when her uncle was killed.

“We only have the one photo of Jimmy with her in the hospital on the day she was born; it’s a special photo. I look at it some days and say: ‘Little did you know, you only had a few weeks left to live’.”

Michelle concluded: “Jimmy’s just so missed by us all – and I have to mention his granny Maggie Den and his godfather Shaun Reilly, who both struggle daily without him as well.”

“But God is good, and we know and pray that Jimmy looks after us all. He definitely has answered a good few prayers so far, as myself, his daddy, and his sisters, Catherine and Caroline, and brother John Paul continue to get out of bed, go to work, and try our best to live a new life without our dear Jimmy.”