Four people killed in road collisions over 24-hour period

A summer trip from San Francisco by an Irish emigrant and his family turned to tragedy early on Monday when he was killed in a road traffic incident on Achill Island, Co Mayo.

The victim has been named locally as Alan Callaghan (46), formerly from the Tiernaur area between Mulranny and Newport.

He was one of four people to have died in three separate crashes on the State’s roads in 24 hours.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said it was of great concern, “not just the fatalities but the injuries as well” on our roads.

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Mr Callaghan died after being struck by a car while walking at Dooagh, Keel, Achill, at approximately 3.15 am.

It is understood he had been socialising with relatives earlier.

Garda investigations are continuing into all aspects of what they describe as “a terrible tragedy”.

It is understood Mr Callaghan, whose parents Tony and Bernie, live in the west Mayo area, returned earlier this month with his wife and family to holiday in his native area.

One Tiernaur resident explained: “Alan left for America about 20 years ago. I understand he had been doing very well in the construction industry there.”

Mr Callaghan acted as the agent for an active Californian business entity, Nuport Construction Inc. The firm, which is family owned by the Callaghans, was incorporated in 2007.

Communities in south Mayo and north Galway were also united in shock and sadness following a crash on Sunday in Co Limerick which claimed two young lives.

The pair who died – Brian Mullin from Kilmaine and Sharon Ryan from Hollymount – were both in their 30s.

Brian, a brother of Mayo GAA star, Oisin Mullin, returned recently from Chicago, where he had been living for some time.

The two lost their lives when the car was in a collision with a van on the N21 between Adare and Patrickswell at around 9:25pm on Sunday night.

Oisín Mullin and his brother Jarlath were in Chicago playing for John McBride’s GAA Club this summer. They were due home on Monday to join their grieving parents, Noreen and Jarlath and other family members.

Sharon Ryan had strong Galway connections through her work as a fitness coach in the north of the county.

Paying tribute, Ballinrobe based county councillor Michael Burke described the news of the deaths as “absolutely heartbreaking”.

“Our thoughts are with the families”, he said. “Both Brian and Sharon were extremely popular.”

Gardai are appealing for witnesses. “The occupants of the car, a man and woman both aged in their 30s, were pronounced deceased at the scene. Their bodies have been removed to University Hospital Limerick,” said a Garda spokesman.

“The occupants of the van, a man and woman in their 20s and a male infant, were taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment but are believed to be uninjured at this time,” he added.

In a further incident, a 19-year-old man died following a crash near Listowel in Co Kerry on Sunday afternoon.

The single-vehicle crash occurred at 2.40pm in Ballinruddery. Gardaí said a car hit a roadside tree.

The young driver was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was brought to University Hospital Kerry (UHK) where a postmortem is to take place at a later date.

Two passengers who were travelling in the car were taken to UHK for treatment for injuries which were understood to be serious but not life-threatening.

The Garda Commissioner, speaking at an event in Athlone on Monday, urged people to slow down and not to drink and drive or to use their mobile phones while driving. He said gardaí would have a strong road traffic enforcement presence over the coming bank holiday weekend.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) also appealed to motorists to take greater care on the roads following the deaths of 94 people so far this year, an increase of 28 on the same period last year.

Drivers accounted for 46 of the deaths, passengers 13, while 15 pedestrians have been killed so far this year. Seventeen motorcyclists have died this year, with two pedal cyclists and one e scooter driver/passenger also losing their lives.

While some of the increase this year can be accounted for by exceptionally low figures last year during the Covid 19 lockdown, the RSA says the trend is worrying, and numbers are rising above pre-pandemic levels.