A psychiatric patient at St Loman's Hospital in Palmerstown, Dublin, was one of four people killed in road accidents over the weekend. Mr Alan Murray (24), from Brookfield in Tallaght, Dublin, died after being struck by a lorry on the Lucan by-pass close to the hospital grounds shortly after noon on Friday.
A spokeswoman for the Eastern Health Board said Mr Murray, who had been admitted as a temporary patient the previous night, went missing around lunch-time on Friday.
Meanwhile, a young Cork woman was killed in an accident two miles outside Newcastle West, Co Limerick, early yesterday. Ms Helena Barrett (28), from Friars Walk in Cork city, died after the car she was driving and a mini-bus collided at about 5 a.m.
Gardai in Sligo are appealing for witnesses to a hit-and-run accident on Saturday morning in which a 50-year-old man died. Mr Luke Gilligan was struck by a car at Sandyhill in Charlestown shortly after 2 a.m.
In Dublin a passenger died when a car struck a fence at the intersection of Sir John Rogerson's Quay and Brittan Quay at 6 a.m. yesterday. The victim has been named as Mr Michael Bracken (30), of Cushlawn Park in Tallaght, Co Dublin.
In Co Mayo, the body of Mr Michael O'Neill (40), from Charlestown, Co Mayo, was recovered from the Moy river at Swinford around 1 p.m. on Saturday.