Four young people who died in a crash in County Tipperary while on the way to exam results celebrations have been named.
Luke McSweeney, 24, his sister Grace McSweeney, 18, Nicole Murphy, 18, and Zoey Coffey, 18, died at the scene after the car they were travelling in struck a wall on Friday, Gardaí said.
Supt Kieran Ruane of Clonmel Garda station praised the emergency services who attended the scene on Friday night for their “exemplary” work at a briefing to the media on Saturday.
“The scene was very difficult, in very adverse weather conditions, and the professionalism shown by all first responders and the care and respect shown to the four deceased was exemplary,” he said.
“Our local communities, in particular Clonmel, Kilsheelan and Ballypatrick, are shocked and deeply saddened by these events. I want to assure our local communities that An Garda Síochána is here over the coming days, weeks and months to support our communities as we all come to terms with this tragedy.”
He said support was being organised for the friends of all four deceased on Saturday and an investigation was under way. Family liaison officers have been appointed to the grieving families.
Secondary schools in the town that the four young people had attended opened on Saturday to support students.
Several local sporting events and the Clonmel Pride parade, as well as other activities in the area, have been cancelled after the fatal crash out of respect for the grieving families.
Bouquets of flowers were left near the scene by local people and students, who were seen comforting each other.
Ireland’s president, Michael D Higgins, expressed his sympathies on Saturday. “The hearts of all parents and relatives, indeed the whole community, will have gone out to the families of Zoey Coffey, Nicole Murphy and Luke and Grace McSweeney, who lost their lives in a traffic accident in County Tipperary last night.
“The grief that has been expressed by the community is nearly unbearable and I send my deepest sympathies to their families, their whole community, those in their year in school and the whole school, its pupils and management.”
Earlier on Saturday, the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, called for people to come together as “the whole nation mourns”.
The car crashed on the Mountain Road in Clonmel at about 7.30pm on Friday. The vehicle was travelling downhill and is believed to have got out of control and overturned near the entrance of Hillview Sports Club, RTÉ reported. No other vehicle was involved.
The teenagers are thought to have been on their way to celebrate after receiving the results of their leaving certificate exams that day.
Varadkar offered his condolences to the young people’s relatives. “It is with deep sadness that I learned of the tragic incident in Clonmel last night,” he said.
“Leaving cert results night should mark the beginning of a world of opportunities for young people. It’s a milestone on the road from childhood to adulthood. For young lives, so full of possibility, to be cut short in this way is truly devastating and heartbreaking. The whole nation mourns them.”
He called for the community to come together. “My sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have died and the wider community in Clonmel and Tipperary. The thoughts of the whole country are with them, their school and their community.”
Varadkar said the school authorities and the healthcare system would be supporting the victims’ classmates and community, adding: “We must come together in times such as this.”
The education minister, Simon Harris, said there was “grief, shock and sadness” after the crash.
He wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Devastating news from Clonmel. Leaving Cert results day represents achievement, celebration & excitement. Tonight that has been replaced by grief, shock and sadness. Thinking of the families, friends and school community of the four young people. There are no words. Heartbreaking.”
Police said they were aware that “images of the immediate aftermath of this collision” were being shared on social media and messaging apps. They called on people not to forward such images if received out of respect for the deceased and their families.
Father Michael Toomey, an administrator in the parishes of Ardfinnan and Ballybacon and Grange, said the victims’ families had expressed gratitude to the emergency services who attended the scene. “Sometimes no words seem adequate when a tragedy like what occurred in Clonmel tonight happens. No words can give comfort at this time,” he said on Facebook.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families tonight who suffered a terrible loss in this terrible accident. Being with them this evening, I know they are so grateful to all of the emergency services and to everyone who helped them this evening.”
A vigil would be held in Denis Burke Park in Clonmel on Saturday night in memory of the four young people, he said later.
