A former international rugby player has been charged in relation to a car crash in which a 16-year-old youth was killed at the weekend.
Kevin Walsh (16), Bruff, Co Limerick, died when the car in which he was a back-seat passenger was struck from behind by a four-wheel drive vehicle at Toomevara, Co Tipperary, shortly after 5am on Saturday.
The driver of the car and a second passenger - both uncles of the boy - were slightly injured. The driver of the four-wheel drive vehicle was unharmed.
Eddie Halvey (36) from Limerick, who has eight international caps and who also played for Munster, has been charged under section 49 of the Road Traffic Act in relation to the incident. He has been released on bail.
It is believed that the crash happened after the driver of the car, Vincent Tierney, stopped at Coole, Toomevara, on the N7 when he saw cattle on the road.
Front-seat passenger Declan Tierney said: "Vincent stopped when he saw the cattle and we decided to pull in and phone the gardaí as they were all over the road and we felt that someone could get hurt. We then pulled into the hard shoulder, so we could try to find the farmer who owned the cattle."
Following the crash Kevin Walsh was taken to Nenagh General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The crash was one of three fatal collisions this weekend.
A woman in her 40s died and two men were injured in a two-car collision on the N8 Dublin-Cork road south of Urlingford at 2.20pm yesterday. The male drivers of each of the cars were taken to hospitals in Cashel and Kilkenny.
Two people were also killed in a single vehicle crash near Bangor, Co Down early yesterday. The incident happened on the Ballysallagh Road in the Clandeboye area when the car left the carriageway close to the Estate Road junction at around 4.30am.
The PSNI has appealed to anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward. They are particularly interested in speaking to the driver of a taxi which was in the vicinity at the time of the collision.
