Five people in their early twenties 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, involving a Volkswagen Golf and a Toyota Land Cruiser.
The five victims, all occupants of the Golf, were named by Gardaí on Sunday 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. 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 are not in a life-threatening condition.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “numbed and shocked” and offered thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the deceased. Tánaiste Simon Harris described a “veil of deep sadness” over the country and paid tribute to first responders, acknowledging the “extraordinarily difficult and tragic circumstances” they faced.
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 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, and said the incident was a “very clear reminder of how things can change dramatically on our roads in a split second”. He added that 157 people have died on Irish roads so far this year, a slight increase on the same period last year.
