The country's roads are blessed by clerics

A special "Blessing of the Roads Ceremony" has taken place during Easter Masses and Services throughout the country today.

It comes after two more lives were lost on the roads overnight.

Twenty-year-old Shane Doherty from Rathconnell in Mullingar died when his car crashed at Devlin Road in Mullingar.

In Dublin twenty-two-year-old Mark Carroll from Dunard Avenue in Cabra died when the car he was a passenger in collided with a railing on Military Road in the Phoenix Park.

Mayo County Council's Road Safety Officer Noel Gibbons, who came up with the idea to have the blessing today, is asking all motorists to wear their seatbelts, reduce their speed, and drive carefully.