A coroner has warned the public that speeding is not always the cause of road deaths.
At an inquest in Letterkenny, coroner John Cannon said that to date this year there had been 96 deaths on Irish roads.
“Today’s inquest shows that speed is not always a factor and it shows the inherent danger on our roads,” he said.
The woman who died, Maggie Barr, had spent many years acting and had appeared in various television series, including on TG4.
The head-on collision between two cars in Dunlewey, Co Donegal on May 27th, 2008, also resulted in a five-year-old girl being left in a wheelchair for life.
Garda Niall Maguire of Falcarragh Garda station said the road conditions were good and that both cars were in good, roadworthy condition.
He added that as a result of an investigation it was deemed that speed was not an issue in the crash. But at the end of the inquest the jury recommended that improved road signage should be put in the area.
Seconds after the crash the car carrying a young family went on fire and the Ní Gairbheith children Noirín (5) and Aodán (2) were caught in the back of the car. They were released before the car was consumed by flames.
A statement from Sonia Nic Gairbheith said the crash has had a life-changing effect on her family. Her daughter is in a wheelchair and is paralysed from the chest down.