Cashel left ‘numb’ after three die in crash

A ‘NUMB’ feeling has gripped a Tipperary community following the deaths of a three-year-old boy and his grandparents, who were killed in a collision earlier this week.

Thomas O’Reilly, 45, Bridget O’Reilly, 46, and their three-year-old grandson Tom O’Reilly died in the collision in Cashel on Tuesday evening.

The child’s parents, both aged 22, were injured in the crash.

The man is being treated for serious injuries while the woman sustained less serious injuries.

Thomas and Bridget O’Reilly were from the Waller’s Lot area of Cashel.

The crash came days after four young people were killed in a separate road collision in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

Garda Superintendent Kieran Ruane said the local community in Cashel was shocked and deeply saddened by Tuesday’s crash.

The single-vehicle collision occurred shortly before 9pm when a car hit a wall in the Windmill-Knockbulloge area of Cashel.

“I want to express my sincere condolences and the sympathies of every member of An Garda Siochana to the family and friends of Thomas, Bridget and Tom on this tragic loss of life,” said Mr Ruane.

He said gardaí would investigate all circumstances of the collision, and he commended the response of emergency services to the incident.

“Our local community here in Cashel is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic road traffic collision involving five members of one family, with three deceased,” he said.

“I have spoken with the family of the deceased this morning, a family that is devastated by this terrible incident.

“I assured the family and I want to assure the community that local gardaí here in south Tipperary are here to support them and the community, as we all come to terms with this tragedy over the coming days, weeks and months.

“I want to take the opportunity to appeal to any person with any information on this road traffic collision to contact the investigation team at Cahir garda station.” 

Parish priest Fr Enda Brady said that because the Cashel crash happened so close and so soon after the fatal collision in Clonmel, “it’s just given a totally numb feeling around the town”.

“People don’t know how to put it into words, they don’t know how to express what they’re feeling,” he told PA.

A vigil is to be held in St John the Baptist Church in Cashel at 3pm tomorrow. 

Separately, a three-year-old girl died after a crash in Co Laois earlier today. 

The collision involving a car and pedestrian happened in Cosby Avenue, Fairgreen, Portlaoise at about 1.15pm on Wednesday.

The youngster was taken to Midland Regional Hospital but later pronounced dead.

The scene in Cosby Avenue remained sealed off on Wednesday evening pending a technical examination by Garda forensic collision investigators.

In another fatal incident today, a man, aged in his 40s, died following a single-vehicle collision in Co Donegal.