Kildare crash victims named
The names of the four victims of a road accident in County Kildare have been released by Gardaí.
The four young women were Aisling Middleton (19) from Coney Meadows, Coneyboro, Athy, Co. Kildare; Chermaine Carroll (20), Dolmen Heights, Pollerton, Carlow; Niamh Doyle (19) from Mount Leinster Park, Carlow Town and Gemma Nolan (19) from Idrone Park, Tullow Road in Carlow Town.
They were killed in the crash between a car and van near Athy shortly before 10pm last night.
Gardaí said the four women were passengers in the car.
Three others - the driver of the car and two men travelling in the van - were seriously hurt in the crash, and are being treated at Naas General Hospital.
All four women have been described as 'lifelong friends'. It is understood they were on their way back to university after the Christmas holidays, when their car collided with the van at Burtown, almost 5 km from Junction three on the M9.
Father Frank McEvoy is the Parish Priest for the area where the crash happened last night.
"To see four young bodies on the side of the road is very sad, and very sobering, I must say," he said. "It brings it home to us the need to be so careful on the roads."
Local County Councillor Aoife Breslin, said people are devastated by the news.
"Four teenagers have lost their lives and their families and friends are tragically hurt by this, and I think the whole of Ireland would send their commiserations"
Gardaí are appealing for anyone who witnessed the accident to contact them Athy Station.
The road has since reopened.
