Kilkenny parents still trying to 'fill the void' after friend's speeding killed their son

A family from Kilkenny have revealed how they are still trying to "fill the void" of losing their son in a car crash in April of 2022.

Sylvia and Eamon Mooney's 17-year-old son, Cian, died after the car he was a passenger in crashed while speeding near Piltown.

They were speaking on last night's episode of RTÉ's Crimecall in an attempt to raise awareness on the dangers of speeding. 

Cian's 21-year-old friend was driving the car that crashed and Cian was a backseat passenger sat in the middle. 

Cian was just about to finish his first year at the agricultural college in Kildalton when he died. 

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"They had planned to go Go-Karting after finishing the exam for college, so he was on a high going off," his mam recalled. 

It wasn't unusual for Cian to be "on a high" though; his family described him as "easy going" and "always smiling." 

"You never saw him without a smile on his face," Sylvia said. 

Cian was heavily involved in the local community too and was a member of a number of sports clubs, but farming was his passion. 

His "whole life revolved around farming," his parents explained.

They then went on to explain how they were just finishing up dinner when they realised that something was wrong.

Sylvia and Eamon's daughter mentioned that guards were coming into the yard.

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Sylvia explained how she knew something had happened to Cian before she even opened the door.

"The first thing that goes into your head is that Cian is the only one not in the house and you just get that sick feeling," she said. 

When the guards explained what happened, they couldn't believe it. 

Sylvia tried to convince the guards that they were wrong and repeatedly said "you've got the wrong person. It's not Cian. It's not us." 

The guards explained how the driver lost control of the car while speeding and that Cian died at the scene. 

Because of where he was sat and him being slightly taller than average, when the car flipped, his head and neck took the majority of the impact. 

It was determined that speed was the main factor that caused the crash, something that sits heavily with Cian's parents. 

"To just lift your foot off a little bit, you could have saved a life," Sylvia said. 

This time of year and friends reaching milestones make the death of their son extra difficult, the Mooneys explained.

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"It’s probably still sinking in and you’re just trying to fill that void," Eamon said. 

"That void can never be filled," Sylvia added.

Garda Lyn Connaughton also featured on last night's episode to explain that you don't need to be in excess of the speed limit to be considered speeding. 

"The speed just may be inappropriate for the conditions of the road or weather. The Mooney case is a reminder of how devastating speed can be for a family," she said. 

So far this year, 149,960 speeding fines have been issued.

That's an increase of 13,000 on last year, with there still being two weeks left of 2025. 

"That's approximately 410 detections a day," Garda Connaughton said.