Cheerleader and gaelic footballer named among three teens killed after 'crush' at St Patrick's Day party in Cookstown

A cheerleader and gaelic footballer were today named among the three teenagers killed at a St Patrick's Day party in Northern Ireland amid reports of "a crush".

Paramedics were called to the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, County Tyrone on Sunday, where dozens of young people were attending a celebration.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said in the early hours of Monday morning that a multi-agency incident was under way, confirming two people had died and that two others had been taken to hospital.

Just after 7am on Monday, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton confirmed a third teenager had died.

The victims were named as Lauren Bullock and Morgan Barnard, both 17, and 16-year-old Connor Currie.

Speaking from the scene, Mr Hamilton said: "Our preliminary investigations show there was a crush towards the front door of this hotel.

"There looks like there was a large crowd of young people pushing up against the hotel."

Cheerleader Lauren Bullock was described as the "backbone" of the Euphoria Allstar Cheerleading NI team.

The team said: "Euphoria are absolutely devastated to say we lost one of our senior athletes, Lauren Bullock, in the tragedy in Cookstown last night.

"My heart is broken writing this. You were the most down to earth, beautiful soul and our Coral team will never be the same without you.

"You were an incredible cheerleader and were the backbone of our team."

One of the teenage boys who died was today named locally as Connor Currie.

Tributes were paid to Mr Currie, a keen gaelic footballer, by his club Edendork GAC in Dungannon.

In a statement posted on social media, the club wrote: "As a club and community, we are deeply saddened and devastated to hear of the tragic passing of our much loved and highly thought of player and member Connor Currie.

"Connor will forever be remembered with the greatest affection by all associated with our club and indeed the wider Edendork community.

"We are all in shock at Connor’s untimely passing, to lose a dear friend and team mate is one of the most difficult life experiences you will have to face."

Morgan Barnard, a pupil at St Patrick’s Academy in Dungannon, was also named as one of the victims.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said they had received several calls at about 9.30pm following reports of a number of people having sustained serious injuries.

The service said: "NIAS despatched two Rapid Response Paramedics, two doctors and five emergency crews to the scene."

A source told Belfast Live: “A lot of people had congregated outside the Greenvale and there was a lot of carry on but suddenly all hell broke loose and there was a big panic. People were running all over the place."

Emma Heatherington, whose two sons, aged 17 and 18, had been at the event, said she "felt sick" when she saw the police appeal.

"My two boys were there so I rang them, shaking and thankfully got them both," she said. "They were on their way home at that stage.

"They say there was a huge crowd waiting to get into the venue and then a lot of commotion up near the front of the queue, then they said the emergency services arrived and they were all asked to leave.

"They came home very, very shaken with rumours that some people had died."

The 42-year-old, of Donaghmore, Co Tyrone, added: "While it's not clear exactly what happened, it's the most tragic ending imaginable to what was supposed to be a celebration of St Patrick's Day."

Democratic Unionist Part leader Arlene Foster tweeted that her "thoughts and prayers" were "with everyone impacted by this tonight".

And Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill called it a "parents' worst nightmare".

"My thoughts and prayers are with the families," she added.

Former Democratic Unionist MP for South Antrim, William McCrea, said: "We've got to see what lessons can be learned from this tragedy.

"I drove past this 10 minutes before it happened, not knowing that 10 minutes later an absolute tragedy would happen.

"The people that I've spoken to, they're very shocked. It's a close-knit community."

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