'˜Pray for our son' say crash teenager's family

Odhran McKenna was seriously injured in the accident outside Crumlin.

Police said that at around 5pm, a Peugeot 307 car driven by Odhran left the Killead Road and struck a tree. He was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

In a statement released through St John’s GAA his family said they would like to thank people for the hundreds of messages of support.

“The GAA truly is the greatest family in the world,” they stated.

“Odhrán sustained a serious head injury in an RTC and as a result has been sedated to try and give him the best possible chance of a full recovery.

“Anyone who knows Odhrán will know he is a battler on the pitch. He is fighting his biggest battle ever at the minute. No better man. Keep praying.”

Odhran is a talented and promising GAA player who plays football and hurling for St Johns Naomh Eoin in Belfast

His twin brother CJ is also a dual player with St John’s and Antrim, and has been involved in training squads for the Antrim minor football side this season and was also named on the Antrim colleges hurling panel.

Last summer, Odhrán lined out for Antrim’s minor hurlers as they clinched the Ulster title with a win over Derry.

In a tweet, Antrim GAA asked people to “please pray that Odhrán recovers”.

St Mary’s Grammar School on the Glen Road in west Belfast where Odhrán is a pupil, said: “The thoughts and prayers of the St Mary’s community are with Odhrán and his family.”

Numerous messages of support have been expressed on social media by GAA clubs throughout Belfast and Ireland.

West Belfast club St Gall’s said its “thoughts and prayers” went out to a “friend of many of our members, Odhrán McKenna.”

Police have appealed for any witnesses to the incident to contact detectives in Antrim on the non emergency number 101.