Mourners at the funeral of one of Ireland’s leading bike riders heard he was ‘ a remarkable man and a victor in so many ways’.
Former Skerries TT winner,Killian Galligan (57), from Slane, county Meath,working on the roof of a premises in Proudstown, Navan, last Friday when he slipped and plunged to his death.
In 2004 Galligan, originally from Clonmellon county Westmeath, won the Irish Support Championship in the highly competitive 401-750cc class.
This achievement not only showcased his prowess on the track but also solidified his legendary status as a force to be reckoned with in the motorcycle racing community.
The congregation in a packed St Patrick’s church in the east Meath village were told by Fr Richard Matthews, PP, ‘Killian was a remarkable man,a victor in so many ways, someone born with an infectious smile which he never lost.
‘He was a man everyone was delighted to see coming.’
Killian’s younger brother, Ultan recalled how he once upset his sibling.
‘He had a love of bikes from a young age and one of his early ones was a Honda 250, I took it for a spin and crashed it, he wasn’t happy but one of the many great things about him was he never stayed annoyed for long.
‘The other big thing about Killian was his work ethic, he never knew when to stop.
‘He was a great all round sportsman, we grew up in Clonmellon, and he reached an All Ireland B final at under 16 with Westmeath, and I was told yesterday that in his three years at the local tech school they never lost a basketball match in which he was playing.’
Mr Galligan who was buried in St Erc’s cemetery, Slane, is survived by his wife Maria, his sons Marius & Jamie, his mother and father Maura & Tommy (Clonmellon), his siblings Jacinta, Sharon, Eunan, Ultan and Anna.
