Two men die in Waterford, one in Kildare, and four-year-old boy knocked down and killed outside Kinnegad
Conor Lally and
Olivia Kelleher
Gardaí were last night investigating the deaths of four people on the roads over the weekend.
The deaths of the three men and a four-year-old boy brought to 36 the number of people killed so far this month.
The two men killed in the early hours of Saturday morning in Waterford were named last night as Thomas O'Grady (21), West Street, Lismore, Co Waterford, and Robert Lineen (21), Owbeg, Lismore.
Both were killed when the car in which they were travelling apparently went out of control and hit a wall at Tallow Road, Lismore, shortly before 2am on Saturday. Three other men who were travelling in the car at the time were also injured.
All five men were taken from the scene by ambulance to Waterford Regional Hospital.
The two men who were killed were lifelong friends who shared the same birthday.
An Air Corps cadet, Mr O'Grady was due to be presented with his military pilots wings in March. Mr Lineen was a farmer.
Mayor of Lismore Bernard Leddy last night said the community was in mourning for the two young men who had so much potential.
"Thomas was well known to me. I was at a New Year's Eve party and he was talking about his plans for the future as a pilot. It was such a glamorous and exciting job and I am saddened when I think of the life he could have had."
Mr Leddy added: "I visited his parents after the crash and they are devastated. The whole town is in shock. There are groups of people huddled around the streets talking about it.
"Robert Lineen was a young farmer at the start of his life. It is the knock on the door no parents wants. It is the potential the boys had which is so upsetting. They could have done so much."
"I don't think this town, which only has between 1,200 and 1,800 people, will recover from this tragedy for a long time."
The other men injured in the crash were named locally as Gerard Dunne, Colm Bennett and Kevin Leahy.
They remained in hospital last night and were said to be seriously ill.
Meanwhile, a 27-year-old man was killed at about 1.30am yesterday when the car he was driving went out of control and collided with roadworks at Kill, Co Kildare. The dead man, who was from Latvia, had not been named last night.
A man who was travelling as a passenger in the car was seriously injured. He was taken to Naas hospital.
Gardaí last night named the four-year-old boy killed near Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, on Saturday afternoon. He was Paul Carroll, Ballinabrackey, Co Westmeath.
The boy died when he was hit by a car at Ballinabrackey at 2.30pm. His body was removed to Mullingar hospital.