A footballer who was a member of the Galway County under-21 team has become the latest road accident victim.Nearly 200 people have been killed on Irish roads since the beginning of this year, 20 more than the same period last year.
Matthew Berry (20) died in an accident early yesterday when the car in which he was travelling crashed near Caltra, Co Galway. Two young men who were with him in the car were being treated in University College Hospital, Galway, yesterday, where their condition was described as stable.
Mr Berry lived with his grandmother in Caherlistrane, having moved to Ireland from Britain in 1993. He was a member of the under-21 Galway football panel and had trained recently with the senior squad as a goalkeeper. He also played at all levels with the GAA.
Sporting colleagues in Galway described him yesterday as someone with League of Ireland potential and a goalkeeper of considerable talent.
His death brings to six the number of people killed on Irish roads since Saturday evening.
Yesterday, gardai appealed for witnesses to a fatal crash in Co Wexford, in which Ms Alice Kennedy (44), of Gurteen, Bunclody, Co Wexford, was killed.
She was a passenger in a car being driven by her husband, which was involved in a collision on the main Enniscorthy to Bunclody road yesterday afternoon.
Gardai in Granard, Co Longford, are also investigating a fatal collision which happened just before 1 a.m. yesterday at Ballinalee. A driver in his 60s was killed in the accident which involved two cars.
The victim of a fatal road accident in Killeshin, Co Laois, on Sunday afternoon was named as Ms Helena Murphy (64), Doonane Road, Crettyard, Co Laois.
Four people were also injured in the two-car collision. Ms Murphy was a passenger in one of the cars.
A brother and sister were also killed on Saturday night when their Ford Fiesta was involved in a collision with a jeep near Donegal town.
They were named as Mr David George Quinn (60), of Ashgrove, Markethill, Co Armagh, and his sister, Ms Margaret Quinn (59), of the same address.
Their sister, who was a back-seat passenger, was also seriously injured. She was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital.