Donegal crash victims named
Five young people who died in a two-car collision in Co Donegal early today were tonight named by gardaí.
The three men and two women – all in their early 20s – were occupants of the same car involved in the accident at Quigley’s Point near Muff.
Four people were from the Buncrana area while the fifth lived near the crash site.
Another woman in her 20s also died yesterday after a collision on the Clonmel-Kilsheelan road in Co Tipperary.
Gardai named the Co Donegal victims as: David Steele, 23, of Trees, Quigley’s Point; Darren Quinn, 21, of Meenagorey, Buncrana; Gavin Duffy, 21, of Meenagorey, Buncrana; Charlene O Connor, 21, of Straboe, Buncrana and Rachelle Peoples, 22, of The Woods, Buncrana.
The single occupant of the other car in the collision, a male driver, was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.
Buncrana Town Council chairman Padraig MacLochlainn said the deaths were the latest in a series of young fatalities on the roads in Co Donegal.
He added: “It’s a terrible waste of young life and my heart goes out to the families. The local community will do everything it can to comfort them at this terrible time.”
The latest victims bring the 2005 road death toll to 299, including 17 for the month of October.
Gardaí named the Co Tipperary crash victims as Samantha Butler, 20, from Carrick-on-Suir.
Five others were injured in the smash, including an eight-year-old girl.
The six deaths in Co Donegal have plunged Buncrana into inconsolable grief, local priest Fr Con McLoughlin said.
Fr McLoughlin, who was called to the crash scene at Quigley’s Point after 3.30am this morning, said: “All the families are local to the Inishowen area and know each other.
“When I arrived at the scene, the families were beginning to converge and there was an atmosphere of stunned silence about.
“The enormity of the tragedy is slowly sinking in with everybody.”
Local Garda Superintendent Frank Clerkin appealed for witnesses to the incident.
Speaking from the scene, he said: “It’s a busy road here and we’re confident passing motorists would have information that could help us with our inquiries.
“There were a number of people at the scene when the emergency services arrived and we are very interested in talking to them.”
Weather conditions at the time of the collision were poor according to witnesses.
One local said: “A lot of families will be devastated. Two of the dead are cousins and two others were boyfriend and girlfriend.”
It is believed the victims were returning to Buncrana from Bailey’s Nightclub in nearby Redcastle at the time of the accident.
