A 22-year-old Cork man died in a car crash near Killarney early yesterday, after his car collided with an oncoming Garda traffic corps patrol car at a sweeping bend on the N22 Cork to Killarney road.
It was one of two serious crashes, both on the N22, which occurred in Co Kerry yesterday. No one was killed in the second crash, but 10 people were treated in hospital and two are in serious condition.
In Dublin, a cyclist was killed in a collision with a truck on Saturday.
The fatal collision in Co Kerry involved a Tralee-based traffic corps patrol car returning from checkpoint duty near Kenmare. The man who died, Jeremiah Harrington (22), from Riverview Tower, Blarney, Co Cork, was travelling alone towards Cork in the other car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Garda statement issued yesterday morning said he had lost control of his vehicle on the Killarney side of Glenflesk village at 3.10am yesterday: "The deceased was driving alone in a car which lost control and collided with an oncoming Garda vehicle."
Two gardaí - a male driver and female passenger - were taken to Kerry General Hospital. They were both released yesterday afternoon.
Their injuries were not as serious as first suspected, but they were said to have been traumatised by the collision.
The accident at Rusheenbeg on the N22, the main Killarney to Cork road, was at a long, wide sweeping bend, an area notorious for cars losing control.
It is thought the young man may have lost control coming into the bend, spun around and crossed the road. His car burst into flames when it collided with the Garda car and completely burnt out.
Several cars in recent years have crashed at the bend from the Killarney side and some have ended up in nearby fields.
According to local gardaí, the difficulty arises because the wide, straight road from Killarney suddenly sweeps into the bend, catching drivers unawares.
Meanwhile a three-car collision on the Killarney to Tralee section of the N22 resulted in 10 people being brought to Kerry General Hospital.
The collision occurred yesterday afternoon at Urroghal, in Farranfore, on the upgraded section of the N22.
Four adults and six children under the age of 14 were treated in hospital. Two people, an adult and a child, were last night described as being in a serious condition.
Sgt John O'Mahony of Castleisland Garda station said the cause of the accident was being investigated. He said conditions were bright and dry at the time.
In Dublin, the cyclist killed on Saturday has not yet been named. The man, believed to be in his 50s, was cycling on Gardiner Street Lower when he was involved in a collision with a truck at 12.10pm.
He was removed to the Mater hospital where he was pronounced dead an hour later.
The body of a man was discovered by walkers yesterday evening near Derrynane beach in south Kerry. The man, identified as a 29-year-old Czech national, had been working in nearby Waterville. He was due to return home early this week. It is thought he fell, striking his head on rocks, while attempting a short-cut to his home late on Saturday night.