A STUDENT who was enjoying a short holiday after obtaining her Leaving Certificate results died in a freak accident in west Cork at the weekend, and there were four other deaths in Galway, Dublin and Donegal.
Ms Merette Whelan (17), from Blackrock, Cork, suffered serious head injuries when she fell off the pier in Crookhaven early on Sunday.
The young woman, the only daughter of Dr David and Valerie Whelan, had been staying with a friend's family in the area and had gone into the village with some friends.
It is understood Ms Whelan was sitting on the edge of the Middle Pier and was about to return home with her two friends when the accident happened. She asked one of the friends for a hand up but as she got up her foot became caught in a mooring ring and she toppled back and fell off the pier, pulling the other girl with her.
Ms Whelan fell 14 feet into shallow water and is believed to have hit her head on a rock. The other girl fell further out into deeper water and was not seriously injured. Ms Whelan was taken to Bantry Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4.30 a.m.
Mr Conor McCarthy (30), from Ballinclash, Co Wicklow, who lived in Oughterard, Co Galway, was killed instantly when his car and a bus collided near Recess, Co Galway, early on Saturday.
Mr Tony Walsh (51), from Barna, Co Galway, died on Saturday morning when he was crushed by a JCB during building work at the industrial estate at Trusshy, Barna.
A post mortem examination will be held later today on the body of a woman found by walkers at the bottom of cliffs near Glencolumbkille, Co Donegal, yesterday. The woman was identified as Ms Teresa O'Donnell, of Cornagheeha, Sligo, who had been missing from her home since Friday.
Efforts are being made to identify the body of a woman taken from the sea off Howth, Co Dublin on Saturday. The body Was recovered by the crew of a Howth trawler, Cracklin Rosie, about two miles from the port. The woman is described as being aged about 30, 5ft 7in tall, of thin build and wearing a thin blue jumper.