Five more lives were lost on the country's roads at the weekend. Three of the dead were pedestrians and two were motorists who were involved in single vehicle accidents in the early hours of the morning.
Their deaths bring to 359 the number killed on the State's roads so far this year, up 24 on the same period last year. Two of the dead were 18-year-old men who were struck by a motorcycle on the outskirts of Moycullen, Co Galway, shortly before 3am yesterday.
The dead men were named last night as Shane Corrigan with addresses in Gort Mor, Rosscahill, Co Galway, and Clooniffe, Moycullen, Co Galway, and Martin Lynch of Bunscanniff, Maam Cross, Co Galway. They were walking from Moycullen towards Oughterard when the accident occurred. The alarm was raised by another motorist shortly after 3am. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The young men were struck by the motorcycle at Drimcong, about a mile west of Moycullen village. The motorcyclist was taken to University College Hospital Galway and was being treated yesterday for what gardaí described as non life-threatening injuries. Garda technical experts closed the Moycullen to Oughterard road for some hours to examine the scene on a straight stretch of road.
Gardaí at Salthill Garda station in Galway are appealing for witnesses and can be contacted on (091) 521333.
Meanwhile, in another accident a 31-year-old woman died when her car hit a ditch on the Ring of Kerry near Killorglin, Co Kerry, early yesterday.
The single vehicle accident occurred on a narrow section of road at Laharn, two miles west of Killorglin, at around 3.05am.
The woman, from the town, was travelling on her own towards Cahersiveen when her car went over a ditch near a bad bend. She was killed instantly. She has not yet been named by gardaí.
And in Co Carlow a 27-year-old man died following a single vehicle accident around 2.25 am on Saturday.
Gardaí said the man lost his life when his car went out of control and struck a ditch at Ballybannon, Kilkenny Road, Carlow. He was alone in the car at the time.
The deceased was identified as John Jackson, from Raheendoran in Carlow.
In another weekend accident in Co Laois, a 54-year-old pedestrian, Mr Tony Commins (54), from Orchard, Timahoe, was killed when he was struck by a car in Timahoe village on Saturday night.
The collision occurred at 9.55pm and the body of the deceased was removed to Portlaoise General Hospital.
