Five people in their early twenties were killed and three others 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 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. A sixth occupant of the Golf survived and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, along with the two occupants of the Land Cruiser.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed shock and sadness, offering thoughts and prayers to the families. Tánaiste Simon Harris paid tribute to first responders, describing the scene as 'extraordinarily difficult and tragic'. Gardaí have appealed for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage from 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 highlighted that 157 people have died on Irish roads so far this year, a slight increase on the same period last year.
