Two girls seriously injured after separate falls prior to Ed Sheeran gigs

One girl is in a serious condition in hospital while a second girl is being treated for two broken legs following separate falls prior to the Ed Sheeran concerts at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork.

A 17-year-old girl from Douglas in Cork city suffered fractured vertebrae, a punctured lung and liver and head injuries when she fell around 30 to 40 feet at the edge of a quarry.

She and some friends were sitting at the edge of Beaumont Quarry at around 9pm on Saturday as they listened to Sheeran play in nearby Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Her injuries are not thought to be life changing at this time.

The girl’s friends raised the alarm with a garda on traffic duty on the nearby Boreenamanna Road near Cork Constitution RFC and the emergency services were alerted.

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The girl, who is from the local Blackrock area, was taken to Cork University Hospital here it is understood that she remains in a serious condition.

Meanwhile, in the second incident also on Saturday night, a 20-year-old woman fell more than 12ft when a roof gave way beneath her at the CAB compound on Monaghan Road as she and some friends were sitting listening to the concerrt.

The girl, who is also understood to be from the general Blackrock/Ballinlough area in Cork city, was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where she was treated for fractures to both legs but it is expected that she will make a full recovery.

Aside from the two accidents, gardaí reported that the three Ed Sheeran concerts passed off without major incident with some 120,000 fans enjoying balmy sunshine and blue skies as Páirc Uí Chaoimh hosted its first concert following its €80 million revamp.

Supt John Quilter of Anglesea Street Garda station confirmed that gardaí made about 20 arrests over the course of the three days, primarily for drunkenness and public order with some 10 to 12 arrests coming on the final Sunday night concert.

Meanwhile promoter Peter Aiken of Aiken Promotions expressed satisfaction with how the concerts went off and said that the success of the three concerts clearly showed Páirc Uí Chaoimh had the capacity to become a regular venue for major concerts with international acts.

“It was a remarkable event – the whole city was taken over by Ed Sheeran fever for the weekend and the reception he got each night was just unbelievable and we were just blessed with the weather, getting the first three consecutive days of sunshine all year,” he said.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh Stadium Director, Bob Ryan also hailed the Sheeran concerts as a major success not just for Cork GAA but also for Cork city with the three concerts worth an estimated €60 million to the local economy.