Once again after two hugely successful shows, the Keep 'Er Lit Committee have teamed up & we are pleased to announce the launch of

KEEP 'ER LIT FOR PIPS

in Memory Of Stephen Farrell.

From a young age Stephen showed a lot of interest in lorries. He would of travelled the length and breadth of Ireland with his father John. In the evenings, Stephen would of been often found in Convery’s yard shunting trailers and moving lorries for City West Transport. Upon finishing secondary school, Stephen took on an apprenticeship in Electrical. Soon after qualifying, the tools were dropped and he was straight back to the lorries, following in the footsteps of his Grandfather Eamon & Father John.
Stephen got his HGV license in 2010. He had big plans for the future of JF Haulage. His first task was to get a lorry sign written so off to Conor Clarke Graphics he went. To this day you can still see his design on JF Haulage lorries.

That year of 2010 Stephen welcomed his son Callum into this world. Stephen and Callum had many great adventures in the lorry just like Stephen and his Father John had. Callum would of been buckled into the car seat and up into the passenger seat of the Volvo and the pair would of set off to do a days graft.

Callum, now 12 is showing signs that trucking is in his blood & there is no doubt that he’ll be the 4th generation Farrell lorry driver.

Sadly on the morning of 6th June 2012 the news broke that Stephen had taken his own life at the young age of 23. His family and close friends started filtering to his home that morning. There were tears, confusion and questions but unfortunately there were no answers. Over the next 4 days the tributes poured in for Stephen. He got the send off that he truly deserved. The roads were lined with lorries and before he left the Chancellors Road, the cortège paused for a moment while he got an air horn salute.

Stephen continued his final journey into Camlough on the back of his own lorry. The village came to a standstill, the roads were blocked, the shops rolled down their shutters and everyone lined the street to pay their respects to Stephen and his family.

The following week Eamon Fearon, the chairman of the local football club arranged for Stephen’s brothers and close friends to meet at the club, were they were introduced to Seamus McCabe. Seamus is the founding member of PIPS Hope & Support Newry. Over the following weeks & months after Stephen’s death, Seamus spoke to us both as a group & individually about suicide & mental health issues. We’ll be forever in his debt for getting us through them challenging times.

So that brings us here were the
Keep Er Lit Committee have teamed up once again. This year will be Stephen’s 10th Anniversary and to mark this date we’ve decided to do a truck run in his memory. Stephen’s brothers Sean & Brian along with Stephen’s son Callum will lead the convoy out of Camlough in the same lorry that took Stephen to his final destination.

All proceeds raised will go directly to PIPS.

We hope we can count on all the support that you have shown us in our previous two shows & make this event as huge a success as possible. 

PIPS Hope and Support is the leading, independent advocate in the Southern Trust and Newry, Mourne & Down Council areas on all aspects of suicide, including; intervention, prevention, postvention and trauma in order to reduce and prevent suicide, self-harm and emotional & mental distress.