'You never think it will be your own family'

Tyrone GAA prima Niall Devlin has spoken astir nan anguish of losing his relative Caolan successful a car clang earlier this year.

Caolan Devlin died pursuing a clang betwixt a car and a lorry connected nan A5 successful County Tyrone connected 5 March.

The collision happened connected nan Curr Road, betwixt Omagh and Ballygawley.

Fifty-seven group person died connected nan A5 since 2006, according to nan Department for Infrastructure.

Speaking connected nan GAA Social podcast, 22-year-old Niall vividly recalled nan nighttime of nan accident.

"The Tuesday nighttime it happened I was talking to Caolan earlier training," Niall said.

"I enactment an hr aliases 2 aft training for nutrient pinch a group of lads and I deliberation it was Paddy nan caretaker came successful and said, 'boys whoever is going Omagh guidance you request to return a detour arsenic location has been a monolithic car mishap and nan full roadworthy is closed off'.

"You're reasoning 'not again, not different family', you're ne'er reasoning it would beryllium your own."

Niall passed nan collision connected nan measurement location from training and rang his dad.

"When I rang him, I knew location was thing up, conscionable by his voice, it was shaky and he said 'Niall you request to get home'.

"I didn't person a hint what was going connected and that is erstwhile I heard my mummy crying successful nan background," he added.

"My dada said 'Caolan has been successful an accident', but I was successful denial, and I didn't put 2 and 2 together that I had conscionable gone past nan accident."

Niall knew thing was incorrect arsenic soon arsenic he arrived home.

"There were cars parked astatine our neighbours and I knew thing wasn't right, but I still didn't deliberation astir what was to hap successful beforehand of my eyes," he explained.

"I sewage into nan location and each azygous personnel of my family was location and I collapsed down and my dada said Caolan had passed."

"It is simply a nighttime you will ne'er forget; it will unrecorded everlastingly successful my memory. I sewage location astatine 9pm and adjacent clip I looked astatine nan timepiece it was 5am. I went into Caolan's room and sat location distraught."

He revealed that nan days which followed were a blur and immoderate of nan astir difficult of his life.

"That nighttime Caolan returned home, that was a reliable nighttime arsenic that's erstwhile it really hit, I didn't get a wink of sleep.

"One of nan hardest moments was nan undertakers coming successful and calling america successful to spot Caolan."

A week aft Caolan's funeral, Niall starred successful Tyrone's important triumph complete Monaghan.

The triumph meant nan Red Hands preserved their Division One position arsenic Monaghan were relegated.

Devlin admits nan week starring up to nan crippled was a rollercaoster of emotions, expressing his apprehension arsenic he returned to training nan Tuesday aft Caolan was buried.

"I said to my dad, if I get a afloat week's training I want to play. Driving up nan roadworthy to training, I had ne'er been arsenic frightened driving, because of nan roadworthy and seeing each that had happened."

He explained really nan crippled successful Healy Park was an affectional occasion, particularly pinch nan minute's soundlessness involving nan squad and afloat backroom unit earlier nan match.

"When I heard location was going to beryllium 1 [a minute's silence] and everyone was going to beryllium lined up, I thought that was a really bully touch and erstwhile we lined up it deed me, and I wanted that infinitesimal to beryllium over," he conceded.

"The togetherness astatine nan clip for my family, they would beryllium proud, and Caolan would beryllium moreover prouder.

"The 70 minutes was tough, by nan extremity of it I was wrecked. It was a typical night, 1 I'll ever remember, having my full family connected nan transportation after, and in installments to nan Monaghan players who came up and offered their condolences."

Caolan was Niall's only related and whilst he confessed that they were not arsenic adjacent arsenic they had been whilst increasing up, his relative still kept successful touch each day.

"We were really adjacent increasing up, arsenic we sewage older, we astir apt weren't arsenic close, but he was still my relative and I said to him each day.

"He was very quiet, 1 of nan champion lads. He was ever nan first personification to matter earlier a crippled 'good luck' and aft it 'well done' and hug you."

Devlin acknowledged that he and his family are still moving done their grief, but nan support of his extended family and friends has helped.

"We're coping not excessively bad now, we person a awesome family, we person group successful our location calling each time which makes things easier, I person awesome friends and a awesome girlfriend," he said.

"I get my days, but nan only measurement we are going to get done it is together, my family person been superb to us. We person a batch of cousins who consciousness a batch person than cousins, they're for illustration siblings."