A young couple's holiday ended tragically on its first day yesterday when both were killed in a road crash in the midlands.
Mr Anthony Holland (21) and Ms Siobhán McConnon (17), both from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan, died when their Opel Corsa collided with an articulated truck near Mullingar, Co Westmeath.
They were travelling towards Tullamore, en route to Killarney, when the accident happened.
Early speculation was that a manoeuvre to avoid a vehicle turning into a hotel may have led to the tragedy.
The Corsa was on the wrong side of the road when it ploughed into the oncoming lorry, which pushed it 30 feet backwards, before both vehicles became entangled in the stone wall and railings outside Belvedere House.
The cab of the lorry was separated from the rest of the truck. The driver was transferred to Mullingar hospital, where he is understood to be suffering from shock and minor injuries. The driver of the car that Mr Holland passed was also removed in shock to Mullingar Hospital.
The carnage was described by a number of fire-fighters and gardaí as the worst they had ever witnessed.
The roof of Mr Holland's car was completely shaved off by the lorry, leaving the young couple with no chance of surviving the impact. Two cranes were brought to the scene to lift the articulated lorry off the Corsa.
The accident happened just after 8 a.m. outside Belvedere House, on the Mullingar-Tullamore (N52) road.
The road was closed for most of the day, with traffic diverted. Gardaí have appealed for witnesses.
"We have spoken to a number of people already, but we would like to speak to anyone else who may have witnessed it. This is a busy stretch of road - you have Belvedere House, Bloomfield House Hotel, and Mullingar Golf Club all on this piece of road," said Supt Joe Shelly.
"This is the third life to be claimed on this road this month. And another woman was badly injured in the first crash earlier this month."
Mr Holland, a filling-station attendant and part-time fireman, had arranged the holiday after his 21st birthday celebrations last week.Firemen working to release him realised they were recovering the body of a fallen colleague.
"He had a fireman's alerter on his belt, and there was a 'Fire' sign in the front of car. We knew he was a fireman," said one worker at the scene.
Yesterday, his grief-stricken parents, Tom and Bernadette, and his younger brother, Conor, (19) were being consoled by relatives and friends.
Ms McConnon was a fifth-year student in the St Louis Secondary School in Carrickmacross, and worked part-time in a local supermarket.
Her parents and other members of the family were said to be in shock after hearing the news, which was broken to them by two local priests.
Before leaving Carrickmacross yesterday, Mr Holland spoke to his boss at Cassidy's Statoil Station, where he had worked for the past five years.
Mr Francie Cassidy said he was deeply shocked: "I was only speaking to him this morning and he was off to Killarney with his girlfriend on his holidays. He was the finest vibrant young fellow that you could ever meet."
Carrickmacross mayor Cllr Theresa Carolan described it as "terrible news" for the town. "Both these families have the sympathy of everyone in the community. Words fail to convey our feelings."
Town councillor and businessman Mr P. J. O'Hanlon added: "We are all stunned by the loss of the lives of this young couple who were really only starting out on their journey through life."