After their devastating loss of their youngest daughter Jenna-Eve last year, Des and Breda Smyth bravely took part in a programme highlighting the shattering effect that losing a loved one to a car crash has on a family.
RTÉs’ After the Crash’, a documentary on the people who died on Ireland’s roads in 2016 and the effect their deaths had on those they left behind, was without doubt a powerful piece of broadcast journalism that would make anyone rethink their decisions while on the road.
“She was always daddy’s’ little girl,” said Des. “Jenna was the baby.” Breda added: “She had graduated the previous year so she decided she’d take the year out and work with dad and live at home and save all her money.”
“She was always in the shop with me and everybody loved her,” recalled Des. “One person said to me that I imagine when I walk in that door this little head is going to bob up and say, ‘How’ya Tommy. Nice Day!’”
He said that Jenna used to brighten up the day of everyone who came into the shop. “Bright bubbly, big heart, big smile all the time,” her devoted mother said.
Describing a typical day, Des said the family would get up in the morning and head downstairs for breakfast. “We used to get up in the morning and mammy would have the lovely breakfast for us every morning and Jenna mightn’t be up and I’d say ‘Come on Jenna and next thing there would be this thunder down the hall way. She was the quickest woman to eat a breakfast that I know. The two of us would head into the shop and say the rosary on the way in. I miss her now because I don’t have anyone to say the rosary with.”
Her mother said the much loved Mullingar girl was quick to make amends if they ever quarrelled. “Jenna was a great hand to make a cup of tea. We might have words and then she would say, ‘Mammy do you want a cup of tea?’ and I’d say,’That’s a lovely cup of tea’ and she’d say, ‘it’s full of love mammy.’”
The heartbreak suffered by Jenna’s parents is clear to see as they plead with motorists to be careful while driving.
“If people could only think of the consequences of an accident. To see your little girl… The best little girl in the world. It’s just crazy,” said Des, clearly devastated by the massive sense of loss.
While the tragedy was their worst nightmare, the Smyth family were overcome by the level of support from people and particularly delighted with how their neighbours and friends rallied behind them. Breda recalled how businesses in the town of Mullingar closed their doors as a mark of respect and stood in silence, both as a mark of respect to Jenna and in solidarity with the Smyth family.
“The whole street came out and stood at their doors as a mark of respect to Jenna,” Breda said. “I would love to go and shake everybody’s hand because they have carried us through this. There is a man above and if someone said to me a few months ago that we would lose one of our kids we wouldn’t be able to cope. Here we are and we are being carried some way or other,” she added.
Breda admitted she was still worried about her other children when they go out driving and urged motorists to take care in the car. “You see them going out and jumping into their car and you think, ‘please, please be careful.’ I say to young people, ‘think of old mammy and daddy at home because they are left with the pain,’” she added.
