GARDAÍ HAVE appealed for witnesses after five people - three of them motorcyclists - were killed in separate crashes at the weekend.
On Friday night a 24-year-old motorcyclist was killed after he was involved in a collision with another vehicle at Stramillian, Monasterevin, Co Kildare.
In the early hours of Saturday morning a 23-year-old woman in Co Tipperary died following a single-vehicle crash at Kilmacomma, Clonmel at about 3.45am. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her body was removed to South Tipperary General Hospital. Gardaí at Clonmel have appealed for any witnesses to contact them at 052-77640.
On Saturday afternoon a motorcyclist died following a crash near Kilbeggan, in Co Westmeath. The 35-year-old Polish national was fatally injured in a collision between two motorcycles at Clonaglin at about 3.30pm. The man was pronounced dead at Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore.
A second motorcyclist was taken to hospital where his injuries were said to be non life-threatening. Both riders were taking part in a charity motorcycle run.
Gardaí at Kilbeggan are appealing for witnesses to contact them at 057-9332102.
On Saturday night an elderly woman was killed and three other women injured after they were struck by a car at a church car park in Tramore, Co Waterford.
The dead woman was named locally as Margaret Kelly (70) from Roselawn in Tramore. She was going to mass with a number of other women, all in their 70s, when they were struck by a car.
All four were taken to Waterford Regional Hospital where Ms Kelly was pronounced dead.
Sgt Eamonn Owens yesterday said: "The incident is still under investigation but we know the person who was driving the car. The accident happened while the car was in the process of carrying out a parking manoeuvre.
"We have put out appeals for eyewitnesses to come forward," said Sgt Owens. Anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí in Tramore on 051-381333.
Yesterday morning a motorcyclist aged in his 20s was killed when his vehicle was in collision with a tractor near Listowel, Co Kerry. The collision happened at about at 11am.
A female passenger on the bike, also aged in her 20s, was removed to Kerry General Hospital. Her condition was not divulged last night. The driver of the tractor was not injured.
The deaths bring the number of people killed on the State's roads since the beginning of the year to 197 - about a 10 per cent reduction on the similar period last year.
Provisional figures from the Garda showed that, up to August 27th last year, 220 people had been killed in road crashes. The corresponding figure for 2008 is 192. Comparisons up to August 31st were not available yesterday.
However, as the number of deaths as a result of car crashes falls, the figures show that the percentage of pedestrians and motorcyclists being killed is growing.