A retired parish priest was killed instantly when his car was struck by the Dublin-Galway train at Oranmore, Co Galway, yesterday.
The priest has been named as Father Patrick Healy, who was in his 60s and was formerly attached to the parish of Shanaglish, in south Galway. None of the 300 passengers and staff on the train was injured in the incident, which happened at 1.44 p.m. as the 11 a.m. train from Dublin was approaching Galway city.
Iarnród Éireann has initiated an investigation and has expressed its sympathies to the dead priest's family.
The collision occurred at a level crossing close to the Oranmore roundabout on the N6, marked by automatic "half-barrier" gates. The company said the barriers had been operating correctly, and had lowered as the train approached.
Father Healy was heading west towards Oranmore, and it is believed that he had tried to reverse his car back off the track when he realised the barriers were coming down. A bright, low sun had made driving conditions in Galway county difficult yesterday. Part of the car was carried some distance down the track.
Father Healy retired last year, and had been very popular in the Shanaglish parish. He had been suffering from a serious illness but parishioners said he had continued to work tirelessly for the community.
The train remained at the scene until emergency services had cleared the track, and services between Dublin Heuston and Galway, Cork and Limerick were delayed.
The Department of Transport said that its railway inspectorate would liaise with Iarnród Éireann in relation to the investigation.
