A SENIOR Air Corps helicopter pilot has been buried with full military honours after being fatally injured in a crash during a cycle race.
Comdt Morgan Sparrow was the commanding officer of the 302 Squadron, the Air Corps helicopter unit.
He sustained serious head injuries last Thursday night while taking part in a bicycle race in Co Meath and never regained consciousness.
He was taken by ambulance to Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin, where he died on Saturday morning.
The 39-year-old from Moorefield Park, Newbridge, Co Kildare, was wearing a helmet at the time of his fall, which occurred when he was riding with a group of cyclists in an inter-club league; a training race involving members of a number of Dublin clubs.
The crash occurred just before 8pm on the Dunboyne to Summerhill road.
The cause of the crash is being investigated by gardaí.
Comdt Sparrow’s removal Mass was celebrated at St Conleth’s Church in Newbridge and Air Corps helicopters performed a fly-past during the burial service which took place at St Conleth’s Cemetery yesterday.
The deceased is survived by his partner Anne.
While crashes in bicycle races are not uncommon, fatalities are very unusual.
Races usually involve experienced cyclists with good bike handling skills, while modern crash helmets have greatly reduced the risk of sustaining head injuries from falls.
Comdt Sparrow was a racing cyclist in his teenage years and had taken part in the Junior Tour of Ireland, one of the biggest races in Europe at the time for those aged 18 years and under.
He had stopped racing around the same time he joined the Air Corps as a young cadet.
He had recently begun cycling again more seriously and had ridden several non-competitive endurance events and inter-club races.
He was a member of the popular Dublin-based, Usher Irish Road Club.
It issued a statement confirming details of the crash and extended its sympathies to Comdt Sparrow’s partner and his parents Gerry and Frances, brothers David and Mark and his sister Carol.