Longford Review of the Year February 2024: Bryonny's family vow to continue fight for answers

The parents of Bryonny Sainsbury, the 25-year-old Newtownforbes woman who died from a serious brain injury, committed to continuing to fight on behalf of their child.

Alison and Chris Sainsbury lost their daughter after she was crushed by a horse on August 26, 2021.
After years of delay a Mullingar hospital report on the incident was finally published.

The first time the family of the late Bryonny Sainsbury found out that she could have been saved was in the course of the inquest into her death at Dublin District Coroner’s Court.

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Coroner Cróna Gallagher returned a verdict of 'medical misadventure', a term referring to death as an unintended result of medical treatment, in the death of the young Newtownforbes woman.

“We were very shocked,” Alison Sainsbury, mother of Bryonny, said when the fact came out during the inquest, “We only found out after Professor Donncha O'Brien said that Bryonny could have been saved with the intervention of a medicine. It was like telling us that she died all over again.”

The belief that something good can come from the tragedy is a motive for Bryonny's mother: “I would like to meet up with other families that have gone through similar experiences to us, because something's got to be done.

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“This cannot keep happening. You see the nurses, they're run off their feet. They have so much responsibility, and that responsibility doesn't seem to go to all levels, that's heartbreaking.”

Alison's overwhelming sorrow is described when she speaks of the future her daughter lost: “We'll never see Bryonny again. She was going places in her business, she was employing people, she loved life.”

Longford Skate Park officially opened 

The ‘Longford Skate and Recreational Park’ in Longford town was officially opened last February by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD.

The county’s first ever skate park is located on the site of the former greyhound track in the town. It provides a platform for local talent and aspiring athletes to hone their skills, and be a cultural amenity space for the wider community.

The project received funding of €405,000 under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, a key element of the Government’s Rural Development Plan, ‘Our Rural Future’, which aims to make rural towns and villages vibrant places for people of all ages.

Speaking at the official opening Minister Humphreys said: “This really is a momentous day for the town. Because I know that the campaign behind this skate park actually dates back over a decade.”

‘Angry’ Longford farmers in big tractor protest

Farmers from around the county converged on the N4 bypass on the edge of Longford town last February in a show of solidarity for farmers across Europe.

Ostensibly the gathering was to voice outrage at a process many farmers believe is regulating them out of business by “Brussels bureaucrats and Department of Agriculture officials” who they say are “far removed from the reality of day-to-day farming”.

The turnout in Longford was mirrored across Ireland: “We had over 50 tractors taking part,” chairperson of Longford IFA John Sheridan told the Leader, “The general mood is that farmers are very angry. They are very down. They have been inundated with environmental schemes not worth the paper they are written on.”