Three women who died in a three-car collision in Co Louth early on Friday morning were from Co Donegal and were travelling home from Dublin Airport after returning from holiday.
Those killed were named locally as 69-year-old Margaret McGonigle from Castlereagh in Bruckless; her daughter, Mairead Mundy, from Ballyloughan in Bruckless; and Racheal Battles, also from Ballyloughan in Bruckless.
The crash occurred south of Aclint Bridge, Ardee, Co Louth, at approximately 1am.
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It was earlier reported the driver of one of the cars (39) and two passengers (37, 69) died instantly.A male passenger in this car was seriously injured. A man in a second car also sustained serious injuries.
The two men have been taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.
Investigation
The occupants of the third car were not seriously injured.
Following the crash, the N2 is closed between Ardee and Aclint Bridge for the Garda forensic collision investigation. It will be closed for the day and possibly into Saturday.
Diversions are in place, but gardaí are asking motorists using the M1 to divert at Junction 17 for Castleblayney.
Garda Supt Fergus Traynor of Ardee Garda station paid tribute to fire and ambulances services who attended and said an ambulance travelling to Donegal were among the first at the crash scene “and were able to give assistance from fairly early on”.
He confirmed three people had been killed and two people had suffered series injuries.
Supt Traynor said while the road was wet at the time he was on the scene at 1am and conditions were “fairly okay” before deteriorating later on.
Referring to the safety record of the road, Supt Traynor said “there have been a number of fatal accidents on the N2 – they have been well recorded and indeed a number of them in recent months”.
Local Sinn Féin councillor for Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Noel Keelan called on the Government to upgrade the N2 between Ardee and the Tyrone Border, describing the road as “a death-trap”.
Mr Keelan said the stretch of road urgently needed to be upgraded to dual carriageway or motorway status given the significant increase in traffic on the N2 in recent years.
“We’re hitting about 10,000-11,000 cars per day. The potential for head on collisions are dramatically increased when that volume of traffic and the fact that there’s no centre island like on a motorway,” he said.
“The N2 is a death-trap. We’re calling on the Government and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to get funding in place to upgrade the entire N2 from when you leave the motorway at Ardee, through Monaghan and into the North.
“This is a major link to the north and the northwest. It’s the missing link that hasn’t been upgraded. It’s the only way we are going to reduce fatalities on the N2.”
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses of Friday’s collision to contact Ardee Garda station on 041 6871130, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
The latest deaths bring to 97 the number of people injured on the roads so far this year, nine fewer than at the same date last year.
