Ireland

Memorial held for anniversary of Deliveroo cyclist’s death

White bicycle placed at North Wall Quay where Thiago Cortes was struck last year

Friends and supporters pay tribute to Thiago Cortes. Photograph: Stephen Collins / Collins Dublin

Jade Wilson
Thu Sep 2 2021 - 19:30

A memorial was held in Dublin’s city centre on Thursday afternoon to mark the one-year anniversary of Deliveroo cyclist Thiago Cortes’s death.

Mr Cortes (28), from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, was cycling on North Wall Quay in Dublin when he was struck by a car one year ago.

Mr Cortes was delivering food for Deliveroo at the time of the incident.

In May, a teenage boy (17) who struck and killed Mr Cortes after breaking a red light while driving above the speed limit was remanded in juvenile detention for two years.

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Some 30 people, including friends of Mr Cortes, Deliveroo couriers, cyclists and motorcyclists gathered at the Spire in Dublin on Thursday for the memorial.

The organisers of the memorial coordinated with gardaí to be led towards the location of the collision by several gardaí on bicycles and a motorcycle.

A white “ghost bicycle” was placed in honour of Mr Cortes at the site where he was struck, alongside Irish and Brazilian flags.

One of his friends, Luciano, made a plaque attached to the bicycle which featured symbols including a rickshaw, the shamrock and one to remind people of his love for football.

Mr Cortes had come to Ireland to "try for a life here and unfortunately had a tragic accident. We are here today to remember that," Tiago Albuquerque said.

Mr Cortes's friends and colleagues planned to come together and walk or cycle from the Spire to the North Wall quay every year for him, until a permanent memorial could be placed there, Mr Albuquerque said.

Prayers were said for Mr Cortes in Portuguese and English.

Mr Cortes “lived a life characterised by giving” and anybody who knew him “should be inspired to create change” for those like him, the crowd heard.

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