A MAGUIRESBRIDGE woman said that she "lost everything" when she found out that her husband had been killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. 

Dermot Loughran died at just 36 when he took a massive heart attack while piloting his motorbike between Irvinestown and Dromore in 2009. 

He left behind four children, Cassie, Annie, Lee and Shannon, and his loving wife, Majella, who was 38-weeks pregnant with Sophie. 

She gave birth to 10-days-later, without her beloved husband by her side. 

And despite the tragic incident happening almost 15 years ago, Mrs. Loughran said that memories of that fateful day are still fresh in her head. 

"Our whole lives changed. We lost everything," she said. "Your whole world stops, and it impacts you emotionally and physically, and in every possible way. 

"On that day, Dermy was out on the bike but was due home. I rang his phone, but it was answered by Sergeant Allan Ward. He told me Dermy had been involved in an accident. 

"Officers then called to the house to break the news."

Mrs. Loughran described her late husband as "spontaneous" and a "hard worker".

"You never knew where you were going with Dermot; he was spontaneous. With him, it was a case of pack your bags, as you never knew where you were going to end up."

Since the tragic incident, Mrs. Loughran has called for greater awareness around the safety of bikers, and has urged road users to exercise care, as "everything could be taken in an instant."

"Although Dermy's situation was different than others because it wasn't his fault, safety among all road users is so important," she said. "Look out for bikes, look twice, look three times. Slow down and take your time, because an accident can turn someone's whole life upside down. 

"As a biker, you have no protection, and it t can all end in the minute. We had so many plans and dreams for the future, and that was all gone, my world just ended that day."

She added: "To this day, when I hear of a fatality on the road, it brings it all back. No family should have to get that knock on the door."

And amidst her grief, Mrs. Loughran has said that the annual bikers' memorial - held in Aghadrumsee, Fermanagh and more recently in Clones, Monaghan - has helped her mark her late husband's memory. 

"Truthfully, the mass helps us cope," she explained. "I was coming back home from Dublin once, and saw the signs for the bikers' mass. 

"I knew then and there that we had to go. I remember bringing that candle up the aisle for the first time. What that candle represented - the memory of a loving husband and father - broke us in two. 

"We have come back every year since. The girls call it daddy's motorbike mass; it's like his anniversary mass. They love taking part, and they also enjoy the build-up."