Cookstown Incident

[WT4E]

What an awful tragedy can't get it out of my head all day.

I spent my 16-18s in the Greenvale along with my other half and loads of friends. We where just discussing it today - It was always a venue where a potential crush could happen. Back years ago when we where at it it was usually when everyone was on the way out and if some fighting (usually involving the bouncers) started and everyone rushed for the exits. My wife was saying she would remember the danger she feared I remember it too but being quite tall I always remember being glad that my head was high and out of the crowd but thinking about how she felt made me think someone lighter or a girl who isn't as strong must make it so frightening. Anyway back then the exit was wide and there was plenty of room as soon as you made out the door but since they have put the smoking area there (being in Greenvale a lot I noticed it every time and always thought it wasn't a great place for a glorified cattle crush.... never thought this would be the outcome) it is very narrow entrance/exit.

Having talked to some eye witnesses and watching some horrible footage there seems to have been no bouncers/security outside and I think this is where the problem lies - some of the door staff would be questionable - your usual brain dead hard lad thug looking to beat up some young lads if they step out of line. Mickey Mcelhatton on the other hand would be a well known, highly thought of man within the community and will be genuinely distraut about this but in my opinion he has overall responsibility and has been let down by his door staff! He was outside on his hands and knees doing CPR as far as I have heard.

God Rest the children and may their families be comforted in their grief in this dark time.

[Wildweasel74]

Always though the aviva corridor routes were very narrow compared to croke park and are an accident waiting to happen. Especially at concerts.

[Square Ball]

Really hard to put into words what the families of those who died will be going through. No doubt repercussions will follow and blame will be placed on many different people, but let's hope any investigations proceed quickly and don't drag on

[BennyHarp]

I've struggled to get my head around this all day. Like a few posters have said, I spent many nights in the Greenvale during my teenage years and it's just shocking to think that this sort of thing can happen to kids on a night out. I hope we get to the bottom of what exactly happened so this can never happen again. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who have lost their loved ones. Such a tragic waste of young lives. RIP.

[tbrick18]

The grief of this will soon turn to anger and people looking for answers. The families of 3 kids shouldn't be planning funerals because they queued up to go for a night out. This happened on the hotel grounds and the owners are responsible for the safety of the patrons. It seems to becoming obvious that there was inadequate crowd control.

Too many places believe that "bouncers" are there to throw out drunks, chat up girls and rough up people smaller than them. They are supposed to be there for the safety of all patrons and I would assume that means controlling crowds prior to, during and after the disco.

Absolutely tragic event. My daughter is younger but knows one of the kids. My other kids know the brother of another one of the victims. All are understandably shocked and don't really know how to feel.

I think this kind of comment is unhelpful and potentially harmful as it can sway public opinion without any facts behind it.

None of us know exactly what happened. Only certainty is that 3 children  have tragically died. From the outside looking in you could point the finger at all those eejit of kids pushing the line, or the bus companies taking underage kids to an over 18s venue. Or even the parents if they are aware their underage kids were going there. Or the bouncers or the owners for not having a safe enough setup or the local council for not ensuring health and safety standards are up to the correct level (if that is the case).

Let the authorities do their jobs without the guesswork from uninformed public. How would the parents of those kids feel reading that post? Then perhaps find out later that none of it is true.
It really grinds on me how people can be so insensitive when these things happen.

My own experience of the greenvale goes back a few years, but I never found the bouncers to be any worse than anywhere else. As it happens I was in it on the Friday at a private function and was speaking g to the owner briefly. Always seems to go out of his way for his patrons, but that's just opinion.
God help them all.

[Boycey]

Has it been confirmed that it was an 18+ event? I thought I saw on here and other places earlier that it was but was shot down immediately when it came up in discussion a while ago at my local

[RedHand88]

Has it been confirmed that it was an 18+ event? I thought I saw on here and other places earlier that it was but was shot down immediately when it came up in discussion a while ago at my local

Yes it was an 18+ event. The greenvale always had a liberal attitude with regards age. That's why it's so popular amongst 16-17 year olds.

[Tony Baloney]

Fair enough tbrick I took it down. It's still what I believe but probably a bit soon.

[maggie]

Heart breaking. Have been thinking of all involved since I read it first last nite on Twitter. The Greenvale was always a much loved hotspot for us back in the day and for something like that to happen is just beyond belief.
Then hearing about the mother of 3 on a hen in Carlingford as well as the road deaths, makes you appreciate what you have. Tragedy has visited far too many families this weekend. I know I hugged my two wee ones a bit tighter putting them to bed tonite.

[Harold Disgracey]

Absolutely devastating tragedy. Like many in north Armagh I would have done a lot of teenage galavanting around Cookstown so something like this really resonates, especially as I know the family of one of the victims.

[WT4E]

http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2019/03/19/news/family-of-cookstown-crush-victim-morgan-barnard-tell-of-their-devastation-1576144/

Sounded like a great child RIP Morgan

Had heard my dad wondering yesterday if this could be the same family of the teenager killed by UVF in a St Patricks Day bomb at McAleers bar.... turns out it is what a cruel coincidence!

[Hereiam]

The main problem is there is no underage disco's anymore, there used to be one in Omagh but then it closed so the Greenvale is the go to spot for the slack door policy.
Then you have the coach loads just landing around the same time and soon you have a couple of hundred people looking to get in. You never had this issue in our day as you had to make your own way.
Of course then there is the alcohol issue, i was in a local town about 8pm Sunday evening where two bus loads were heading off and some of the young ones didn't know where they were. Alot of drinkin done before they reach the Greenvale which doesn't help.
I suppose with St Patrick's falling on a weekend meant a lot of people were home instead of being up in Belfast.
It was just the making of a perfect storm.
Terrible thing for the families to deal with and hopefully lessons will be learned from it.

[TabClear]

Terrible tragedy. Cannot even begin to imagine what the families are going through.

Like a lot of people on here Cookstown would have been a regular location for me back in the late nineties although strangely enough never to the Greenvale. Glenavon/Clubland were the normal destinations.

[lurganblue]

An awful tragedy.  I had on occasion brought my daughter to sense for teenage discos but i've never been to this venue before. I simple cant fathom how a tragedy like this could occur while entering a nighclub.

[thebuzz]

An awful tragedy.  I had on occasion brought my daughter to sense for teenage discos but i've never been to this venue before. I simple cant fathom how a tragedy like this could occur while entering a nighclub.

My kids are too 'old' for the Greenvale now at 19 and 21. They said, however, that the pushing of the crowd has been going on for years at Christmas and Easter and any time that it's a really big night.

Such a terrible tragedy :-( :-(