Five people in their early 20s have died and three others were injured in a two-vehicle collision near Dundalk, County Louth, on Saturday evening. The crash occurred at approximately 9pm on the Ardee road at Gibstown.
The victims have been named as Shay Duffy, 21, and Chloe McGee, 23, both from Carrickmacross, County Monaghan; Alan McCluskey, 23, from Drumconrath, County Meath; Dylan Commins, 23, from Ardee, County Louth; and Chloe Hipson, 21, from Lanarkshire, Scotland. They were travelling in a Volkswagen Golf that collided with a Toyota Land Cruiser.
A sixth occupant of the Golf, a male, survived and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The two occupants of the Land Cruiser, a male and a female, were also injured but their injuries are not life-threatening.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “numbed and shocked” and offered thoughts and prayers to the families. Tánaiste Simon Harris described a “veil of deep sadness” over the country and praised first responders for their work in “the most harrowing of situations”.
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage from the area between 8.30pm and 9.15pm on Saturday to come forward. Superintendent Liam Geraghty noted that Sunday was the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, and said the crash was a stark reminder of how quickly tragedy can strike.
So far this year, 157 people have died on Irish roads, a slight increase on the same period last year.
