Three die in crashes on road safety weekend

THREE weekend fatalities have brought the number of people killed on Irish roads to 170 this year and to 15 this month.

The 27-year-old woman who died early yesterday in a single vehicle accident outside Lixnaw, Co Kerry, was named locally as Louise McKenna, the mother of a six-year-old boy. She was remembered in prayers at Masses in the area yesterday.

Her partner, Michael Conway, a well-known Kerry and Lixnaw hurler and a Labour Party candidate for Kerry County Council in the 2009 local elections, was driving the car which hit a tree a short distance outside Lixnaw. Four people were taken to hospital after the accident on the road to Abbeydorney at about 3.30am.

Two remained there yesterday evening and were in a stable condition. All the people in the car were from the Lixnaw area and well known in sporting circles.

Meanwhile, a 37-year-old father-of-two was killed in a motorcycle accident in Limerick on Saturday evening.

Gary McInerney of Shoreside, Ballina, Co Tipperary, lost his life after being involved in a collision with a car on the N7 between Annacotty and Kilmurry at about 7pm on Saturday.

He was taken to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle but died a short time later from his injuries. Originally from Woodview in Limerick city, Mr McInerney is survived by his wife Ciara, daughter, Ali and son, Sam.

A 23-year-old man died in hospital yesterday after he lost control of the car he was driving and crashed in Co Cavan at about 1.30am. The accident on a regional road at Tullylorcan, Beglieve, is being investigated by gardaí at Baileboro.

The man killed in a crash on the Cork-Mallow road at Rathduff on Friday morning was named at the weekend as 41-year-old Gerard Barrett from Farranree in Cork city. He is understood to have been returning home from Shannon Airport after dropping a relative there earlier in the morning.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) had called on young motorists to mark European Night Without Accident on Saturday night by taking extra care on the roads.

Several pubs and nightclubs across six counties were involved in the road safety initiative, held in 220 nightclubs across 27 European countries. Designated drivers, who wore a wristband to show they planned to stay alcohol-free for the night, were voluntarily breathalysed as they left clubs to see if their commitment was honoured.

This is the fourth year that Ireland has participated in the night, which coincides with Irish Road Safety Week.