Two men killed in separate motorbike crashes on Sunday

Two men, both aged in their 40s, were killed in separate motorbike incidents in counties Offaly and Dublin on Sunday.

The first crash occurred on the R357 road at Mullaghatour, near Belmont in west Offaly at about 6.45pm. No other vehicle was involved.

The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was later removed to Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore, where a postmortem is expected to take place in due course.

[ Heavy rain suspected to have played ‘significant role’ in crash ]

The road remains closed this morning while Garda investigators examine the scene. Local diversions are in place.

Diarmaid Ferriter: We hardly need reminders of how little the Tories think of Ireland

---

Northampton’s rise to the last four: Bulking up, defensive steel and attacking prowess

---

Your top stories on Friday: Asylum seekers pitch tents in Ballsbridge; united Ireland costs would ‘equal austerity’

---

Stephen Collins: When Harris chickened out of moving McEntee, he lost the chance for a new approach to immigration

---

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to the crash to come forward. Any road users who may have camera footage (including dashcam) and were travelling in the area is asked to make this footage available to gardaí. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Birr Garda station on 057 916 9710 the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.

The second fatality occurred on a slip road to the M50 on the M1 / M50 junction southbound at about 7pm on Sunday evening. The motorcyclist, who gardaí said was a man aged in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s body was taken to Beaumont Hospital for a postmortem.

The M50 access ramp was closed for a time but has since reopened following a technical examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact them.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dashcam) and who were travelling in the area at the time, are asked to make this footage available to Gardaí. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ballymun Garda station on 01 666 4400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station

The deaths followed those of four young people in a crash in Co Tipperary on Friday night. The four were on the way to exam celebrations following the publication of Leaving Certificate results.

Driver Luke McSweeney, 24, and three passengers, including his 18-year-old sister Grace McSweeney, and teenagers Zoey Coffey and Nicole Murphy, also both 18, were killed after their car struck a wall.

According to figures from the Garda the 120 people have lost their lives on the Republic’s roads since the start of the year. The figure is about 20 more than the similar period last year and about 35 more than the similar period in 2019.