Over the Easter bank holiday, a trio of fatal incidents on Ireland’s roads has been reported, culminating in the tragic death of a gentleman in his 60s in Co Kildare. The unfortunate incident saw the man, whilst cycling, collide with a car in Knocknagee around 11.20am on Sunday. The man was declared dead at the location of the mishap and his remains were transported to Naas General Hospital for further investigation.
In other instances over the holiday weekend, on Saturday, a 17-year-old lad lost his life when he was hit by a car on the N17 in Co Mayo. The tragic incident happened in Barnacarroll, Claremorris, roughly around 9.20pm. In an unfortunate coincidence, this fatal incident occurred close to the spot where a family suffered a massive loss just the previous Tuesday, with Una Bowden and her daughters, Ciara and Saoirse, all tragically losing their lives.
Another harrowing incident occurred on Friday night, with a fatal two-car collision in Co Tipperary that led to the death of a 30-something local woman, identified as Claire Kavanagh (37) from Carrick on Suir. This mishap at around 10pm in Kilsheelan also left a man and three youngsters injured. The driver, a man in his 40s, was rushed to Waterford University Hospital with non-critical injuries. The occupants of the second car, three teenagers, were also taken to the same hospital with injuries that were deemed non-life-threatening.
In response to the incidents, gardaí has escalated its enforcement efforts on roads during the bank holiday weekend and have detained 19 motorists within the first day of its campaign. Gardaí announced that additional units would be mobilised to ensure increased visibility. As of Friday morning, the death toll on the roads this year had escalated to 55, revealing a worrying upward trend from previous years. This total marks an increase of 13 compared to the same timeframe in 2023.