Young men main victims of weekend road toll

Seven people lost their lives on the roads in a number of accidents throughout the State at the weekend, bringing the toll of…

Seven people lost their lives on the roads in a number of accidents throughout the State at the weekend, bringing the toll of road fatalities this year to 145.

Most of those who died were young men in their late teens and early 20s.

On Saturday, a motorcyclist was killed in an accident at Carrickbyrne, near the main New Ross/Wexford road. He was named as Mr Shane O'Neill (24), from Adamstown, New Ross, Co Wexford.

It is believed the accident, involving only the motorcycle, happened during the early hours of Saturday and was discovered at 8.30 a.m. that morning.

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Also on Saturday morning, two men were killed at Meencargagh, Ballybofey, Co Donegal. They were named as Mr Marcus McAnenny (18), Lisnafin, Strabane, Co Tyrone, and Mr Gerard Stevenson (23), Greves Park, Strabane, Co Tyrone. Their bodies were discovered in an upturned car at about 10 a.m. when a recovery agent stopped to collect another vehicle involved in a separate accident.

Two injured women were also found in the car.

One was yesterday in a critical condition in the intensive care unit of Letterkenny General Hospital.

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to contact them on 074 91 22 222.

In another accident, two men died early on Saturday evening when a motorcycle and a bicycle collided at Farnagh, in Carrick-on-Shannon.

They were cyclist Mr Lorcan Mulloy, aged in his 20s, of Farnagh, Carrick-On-Shannon, and motorcyclist Mr Conan Duignan, in his 30s, of Summerhill, Carrick-On-Shannon.

Gardaí at Bandon, Co Cork, are also investigating a single-vehicle accident near Bandon at 2 p.m. yesterday in which an 18-year-old man was killed.

The man died at the scene when his car collided with a telegraph pole, hitting a tree near the town before bursting into flames.

The accident occurred five miles from the village of Ballineen.

The 18-year-old motorist was killed instantly in the collision, which occurred near a dangerous bend in the road.

Gardaí said the driver of the red Suzuki Baleno appeared to have lost control and left the road, ploughing into a telegraph pole and then hitting a tree head-on.

The teenager is from the Ballineen area but gardaí will not release his name until relatives have been notified.

The young man was pronounced dead at the scene and his remains were taken to Cork city morgue, where a post-mortem was due to be carried out last night.

Also in Co Cork yesterday, a 38-year-old motorcyclist died as a result of an accident at Kilmartin, Dunamore, at 4.10 p.m. No other vehicle was involved.

Gardaí at Macroom are investigating.