GARDAÍ HAVE appealed for witnesses to “a horrific accident” on the national primary route on the outskirts of Killarney in which a car containing two young men struck a boundary wall, causing a fire and killing both occupants, shortly after midnight.
The nearby Castleisland and Currow districts where the young men’s families are long established were “numb” with shock, a local priest said.
The single-vehicle crash happened at 12.20am yesterday. Gardaí believe the vehicle, a Vauxhall Cavalier with a two-litre turbo engine, went out of control after negotiating a slight bend.
It took down a section of a house boundary wall and demolished two pillars on the N22 Killarney-to-Tralee road before ending up on the opposite side in flames.
The area of the national route at Dunrine around six kilometres outside Killarney is lined with bungalows, many of them guesthouses.
The noise of the crash brought residents running to what they described as “an inferno over the whole road”.
Shaken residents yesterday who had attended the scene for much of the night spoke of feeling helpless and upset.
Timothy Reidy (19), Kilcow, Castleisland, a machinery driver, and Peter Galwey (21), Fahaduff, Castleisland, an apprentice, had been in Killarney and were on their way home to Castleisland.
Gardaí said they were unsure who was driving the car and dental records were being checked to assist identification.
The Garda public vehicle inspection team and emergency services worked throughout the night. The bodies remained at the scene overnight and were removed yesterday to Kerry General Hospital.
Residents spoke of hearing an “unbelievably loud bang” and of running to the scene. According to one man “it was as if the roof of the house was crashing down,” such was the sound of the impact with the wall and pillars.
One householder spoke of feeling helpless. The bang brought the family from the house. They saw the fireball but there was nothing they could do.
“We didn’t sleep all night. All I could think of was whose son or sons are dead in the car. We didn’t even know how many [there might have been in the car],” one woman said. Sgt Ray Walsh of Killarney Gardaí said it was “a horrific accident resulting in the tragic loss of two young lives”.
“The sympathy of everyone goes out to the families of the deceased,” he said.
The vehicle went out of control and struck a wall and burst into flames, he said.
Fr Michael Moynihan, curate of Castleisland parish, said: “The community both locally and beyond is shocked and numbed by the deaths of the two young men, Peter Galwey and Tim Reidy. We feel very sad because two young lives with very great promise and potential have been taken from us so unexpectedly.
“This is a very dark and sad time for their families, their colleagues and their friends,” Fr Moynihan added. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
Mayor of Kerry Bobby O’Connell, a councillor and a publican in Castleisand, said they were fine young men from hard-working families.
Anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí in Killarney on 064-667 1160 or the Garda confidential line 1-800- 666-111.