The N2 route from south of Ardee Co Louth to the Monaghan border has been the subject of numerous fatal crashes and has been identified in Government statistics as among the State’s “high collision locations”.
Already in 2017 there was a multiple-fatality crash in January which resulted in the deaths of two women, cousins Josephine Duff (78) and Kathy McDonald (70). The women were struck by a car while crossing the road after stepping off a bus. Both were from Ardee, Co Louth.
Earlier that month a 55-year-old woman died after being struck by a car at Clonavogy near Castleblayney. In January 2016, two lorry drivers died in a collision that occurred on the N2 between Carrickmacross and Castleblayney.
According to the Road Safety Authority (RSA), five fatal crashes happened on the stretch of road between Ardee and Castleblaney in 2013, the latest year for which collision statistics are displayed on the RSA collision map.
The figure of five compares to just one fatal crash between Ardee and and Dublin’s M50, that year.
The stretch on non-motorway route from south of Ardee to the Border is also identified in the Government’s data site, data.gov.ie, as a high collision location. This is in line with statistics which show motorways and high quality dual carriageways are the State’s safest roads.
Minister for Transport Shane Ross has said the buying of land for improvement work on the N2 between Monaghan Town and Emyvale on the Border is under way.
Fatal crashes in recent times on the route have included:
February 2017
A man in his 30s died after a road traffic collision involving three cars on the N2 Dublin to Derry Road. The incident occurred between Monaghan Town and Emyvale Two women occupants of a second car were seriously injured.
January 2017
A 55-year-old pedestrian died following a crash in Co Monaghan . The collision took place on the N2 at Clonavogy near Castleblayney shortly after 1pm when the woman was struck by a car.
January 2017
Two women were killed in a collision at Hunterstown, near Ardee. The women, who were in the their 60s stepped off a bus and were crossing the road to where their car was parked when they were struck by a vehicle.
May 2016
A 20-year-old woman died and four others were injured following a two-car road crash on the N2 near Duleek, Co Meath
The car in which the woman was travelling was being pursued by a Garda vehicle at the time of the crash.
May 2016
A two-car collision on the N2 near Ashbourne left a 20-year-old woman dead.
The woman was fatally injured when the car she was travelling in collided with another vehicle at Waterside Great, at around 10.20pm.
January 2016
Two lorry drivers died in a collision that occurred t on the N2 between Carrickmacross and Castleblayney.
November 2015
A man was killed in a single-vehicle crash which occurred on the N2 at Kellystown, Slane. The sole occupant of the car, believed to be in his 30’s, died when the car he was driving left the road and collided with a tree.
October 2013
A man aged in his mid 20s was killed in a two-vehicle collision that occurred on the N2 Carrickmacross junction, south of Carrickmacross.
