Thousands gathered in Clonmel, County Tipperary is memory of four young people who died in a car crash while on the way to a Leaving Certificate exams results celebration.
Luke (24) and Grace McSweeney (18) died along with Zoey Coffey and Nicole Murphy, both 18, while on the way to Carlow to celebrate exam results on Friday evening, August 25.
The funerals of brother and sister Luke and Grace will take place on Friday evening.
Luke (24) and Grace McSweeney (18) died along with Zoey Coffey and Nicole Murphy, both also 18, while on the way to Carlow to celebrate exam results last Friday evening.
Gardai believe that heavy rain likely played a role in the crash
According to the Irish Times, Mass services on Sunday honored the four who were pronounced dead at the scene. The car hit a wall at a bend near the entrance to a sports club on Mountain Road and overturned.
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said the tragedy in Clonmel “is felt in the hearts and minds of everybody right across the country."
At a press conference in Drogheda, according to the Times report, Minister Harris said: “The thoughts of everybody in the country remain with the people in Clonmel, remain with the families of the four lives that were lost in Clonmel – Zoey and Nicole and Grace and Luke.
“It’s just been a horrific tragedy on top of... tragedies that have affected the class of 2023.
“For a class and for a generation who have been through so much - lived through a pandemic and everything else, gotten to this point of achievement, I’m really conscious of the great sense of grief and upset that they’re feeling.”
