A 32-year-old woman and her nine-year-old son were killed in a two-car crash in Co Kildare yesterday afternoon, writes Ruadhán Mac Cormaic.
The number of people killed on the State's roads this year has now reached 113, which is 11 more than at the same point last year. A total of 16 have died since the beginning of April despite the introduction of 31 new penalty point offences.
Pamela Boylan and her son Thomas, from Fettercairn in Tallaght, Dublin, died after their car collided with another car at Horsepasstown, Ballymore Eustace, shortly before 1pm.
A man in his 30s was arrested at the scene and was being detained last night at Naas Garda station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. Under its provisions, he can be held for up to 12 hours.
The crash happened on a section of the N81 at Fáil na Rí on the Kildare-Wicklow border, some four-and-a-half miles south of Blessington. Gardaí said the woman died at the scene, while her son was brought to Tallaght hospital, where he was pronounced dead later in the afternoon.
The 1993 Toyota Starlet in which the woman and her son were travelling was described as "a write-off" by gardaí, while the second car - a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer - was damaged on its front passenger side. Both its airbags were activated, and the driver was brought to Naas hospital with minor injuries.
The part of the busy N81 where the crash happened overlooks Blessington reservoir on a straight stretch of some 400-500 metres, though there is a series of sharp bends on the approach.
A local garda said the cars collided on a slight left-hand turn, with the Toyota Starlet travelling towards Blessington and the Mitsubishi Lancer heading in the opposite direction.
The speed limit is 60km/h and the road is divided by a continuous white line.
A section of the N81 at Horsepasstown was closed and traffic diverted for several hours yesterday afternoon, while both cars were removed for specialist Garda forensic examination last night.
Meanwhile, two people were killed in separate road crashes in Co Louth on Sunday. A man in his 20s was killed when the car in which he was a passenger went out of control and crashed on Sunday night. The incident happened at Strand Road, Annagassan, at about 10pm. The car's driver was treated for injuries at Louth County Hospital.
Earlier on Sunday, a pedestrian in his 70s died after being knocked down by a car on the Drogheda to Baltray Road in Co Louth.
The incident happened at 3.30pm. The victim was removed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, where he was later pronounced dead.