Private prayer service for victims of Athy road accident

A private service will take place in Carlow this afternoon for the four women who died in a road accident in Co Kildare on Tuesday.

Nineteen-year-old Ashling Middleton from Athy, 20-year-old Chermain Carroll from Carlow, and 19-year-olds Gemma Nolan and Niamh Doyle also from Carlow lost their lives following a two-car collision near Athy.

Their funerals are due to take place in the coming days.

Brenda Drumm from the Catholic Communications Office told KFM that today's private prayer service is an opportunity for the students and staff of Saint Leo’s College in Carlow - where the girls were former pupils - to remember them.

"The attention of the principal and staff of the school is on the girls' well-being at this stage, and it's important for them to have a space and a place to come together and remember those who've died and to pray for the girl who was injured," she said.

"It will be a very short prayer service, it'll be 20 minutes or no more, and it's not open to the public, nor is it open to members of the media either."