Two men were killed in road traffic accidents during the weekend. A 27-year-old man was killed when he was struck by a car in Monaghan yesterday morning.
Mr Ronan Leonard, from Rakeenan, Newbliss, was walking on the Carne, Smithboro road at 1.40 a.m. when the accident happened. He was taken to Cavan General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
On Saturday, a motorcyclist was killed in north Co Dublin following a collision with a car. Mr Séamus Kelly (53), from Lucan, died at the scene following the accident at Kilsallaghan, Swords, at about 5.30 p.m.
Meanwhile, jarveys and their traps formed a guard of honour through Killarney during the removal of jarvey Mr Michael Kearney last night.
Mr Kearney (78) died after a minor collision involving a car and his jarvey on Thursday morning. He appeared to have been thrown from his jarvey after he stood up to control the situation. He will be buried at Muckross Abbey today.
Mr Kearney was a familiar figure to locals and tourists, having worked as a jarvey for more than 50 years. He regularly featured in standard television shots of Killarney and in tourism promotional literature.
After the accident, the horse made his way with the jaunting car to the jarvey stand, negotiating a roundabout and a crossing to take up his traditional position on the enclosed stand.
Mr Pat O'Sullivan, chairman of the Killarney Jarvey Association, said Mr Kearney was "a character in his own right". After the accident Mr Kearney's only concern was that the horse was caught.
"Everyone looked up to him. He came from a great family tradition of jarveying. He was a father figure for jarveys in Killarney."
Mr Pat Gill, chairman of the Kerry branch of the Irish Hotels Federation, said tourists who returned to Killarney year after year asked for Mr Kearney because of his "own brand of cutting wit".