Communities United in Grief After Tragic Collision
A close-knit community spanning Ireland and Scotland is grappling with profound loss after five young people died in a devastating two-vehicle crash in County Louth. The incident occurred on the L3168 at Gibstown, just outside Dundalk, on Saturday night, November 15, 2025, shortly after 9pm.
The victims, all in their early twenties, were travelling together in a Volkswagen Golf on their way to Dundalk for a night out when the collision with a Toyota Land Cruiser happened. Three men and two women lost their lives at the scene.
Victims Remembered by Heartbroken Communities
The five young people who died have been named as Chloe McGee, 23, from Carrickmacross; Shay Duffy, 21, also from Carrickmacross; Alan McCluskey, 23, from Drumconrath, County Meath; Dylan Commins, 23, from Ardee, County Louth; and Chloe Hipson, 21, from Lanarkshire in Scotland.
The impact on their communities has been immediate and deep. Padraig McGovern, principal of O Fiaich College in Dundalk where Chloe McGee taught, described her death as an "incredible shock". Speaking on BBC's Good Morning Ulster, he highlighted the challenge of helping students process such a sudden tragedy.
In Drumconrath, Fr Finian Connaughton, a close friend of the McCluskey family, remembered Alan as a "lovely young fellow" and a "very regular attender at church". He spoke of the "devastation" felt throughout the community and extended condolences to all five grieving families.
Emergency Response and Ongoing Investigation
A major incident response was initiated involving Gardaí, Dundalk Fire Brigade, and HSE paramedics. Superintendent Charlie Armstrong praised the exemplary professionalism of first responders who worked in adverse weather conditions at what he described as a "very difficult" scene.
A sixth person, also in his twenties who was in the Golf, is receiving hospital treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. Two occupants from the Toyota Land Cruiser, a man and a woman, were also taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda with non-life-threatening injuries.
An official investigation into the Co Louth crash is underway. The L3168 remained closed on Sunday for technical and forensic examination, with further searches planned for Monday. Post-mortem examinations will be carried out in the coming days.
Superintendent Armstrong has made a direct appeal for information, urging anyone who was on the L3168 between 8.30pm and 9.15pm on Saturday, or who has relevant camera footage, to contact Dundalk Garda Station.
The tragedy has drawn reactions from Ireland's highest levels of government. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he was "numbed and shocked" by the news, while Tánaiste Simon Harris described a "veil of deep sadness" over the country.
