Counties Affected
Overview
Four people lost their lives on Irish roads between Friday 4 and Sunday 7 September 2026, with fatal collisions recorded in Clare, Cork, Donegal, and Limerick. Among those killed were a two-year-old boy and a teenage boy of 16 — losses that serve as a sobering reminder of who is most vulnerable when road safety fails.
Incidents
St Johnston, Co Donegal — Friday 4 September A woman in her 80s died following a collision involving a lorry on Church Street in the village of St Johnston on Friday afternoon. Her death was reported as the fourth road fatality in Co Donegal within the space of a single week, a detail that underlines the acute toll this county has borne in recent weeks.
Clonlara, Co Clare — Friday 4 September A 16-year-old boy, named locally as Bryan Lowe, died after being struck on the L3050 at Cottage Cross near Clonlara. He was found unresponsive at the roadside, and the second vehicle involved left the scene without stopping. Gardaí are appealing for information. The death of a young person in these circumstances — and the failure of a driver to remain and render assistance — will be felt deeply by his community.
Rathkeale, Co Limerick — Saturday 5 September A two-year-old boy died after being struck by a vehicle on Abbey Court in Rathkeale. The driver initially failed to remain at the scene and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. The death of a child in a residential area is a profound tragedy, and the circumstances surrounding this incident are deeply serious.
Fermoy, Co Cork — Saturday 5 September A passenger died following a two-vehicle collision on McCurtain Street in Fermoy at approximately 8.40pm. A man in his late 30s, the driver of one of the cars involved, was arrested and charged and is due to appear before Mallow District Court.
Year-to-Date Context
Based on our own tally compiled from news and incident reports, approximately 170 people have died on Irish roads so far in 2026. At the same point last year, the Road Safety Authority recorded 123 deaths in their official figures.
It is important to note that these two figures are not directly like-for-like: our running count is drawn from news reports and tends to run somewhat ahead of the official RSA tally, which is confirmed and published on a different timeline. With that caveat clearly in mind, the gap between the two figures — in the region of 38% — is nonetheless a cause for genuine concern and one that warrants close attention as the RSA’s own year-to-date figures are updated.
We will continue to monitor both counts and will report the official RSA figure as soon as it is available for the equivalent period.
Safety Focus: Vulnerable Road Users and Driver Responsibility
Three of the four deaths recorded this period involved pedestrians — an elderly woman, a teenager, and a toddler. This is a stark illustration of how catastrophically a collision can end for those outside a vehicle, and it reinforces several core road safety principles:
- Residential and village roads are not low-risk environments. Collisions in built-up areas, including incidents involving reversing or slow-moving vehicles, can be fatal.
- Drivers must never leave the scene of a collision. Leaving a scene is a serious criminal offence, and — as events this weekend tragically show — doing so can mean an injured person receives no immediate assistance.
- Impairment behind the wheel remains a factor in fatal collisions. Two incidents this period involved arrests on suspicion of drink or drug driving, or resulted in charges being brought. The RSA continues to emphasise that there is no safe or acceptable level of impairment when driving.
Drivers are encouraged to revisit the RSA’s guidance on sharing the road with pedestrians and to be especially attentive to reduced visibility conditions as the evenings begin to shorten into autumn.
Looking Ahead
The coming weeks mark the transition into autumn driving conditions — earlier sunsets, wetter roads, and reduced visibility, particularly in rural areas. As communities across Clare, Cork, Donegal, and Limerick grieve these losses, we ask all road users to reflect on the responsibility they carry every time they get behind the wheel or step onto a road.
If you have any information relating to the hit-and-run incident near Clonlara, Co Clare, please contact your local Garda station or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all four people who died this period.
Fatality counts reflect our own tally compiled from published news reports and may differ from official RSA figures, which are updated separately. Year-on-year comparisons should be treated as approximate.
Report card description: Four people died on Irish roads between 4–7 September 2026, including a two-year-old boy and a teenager, with incidents in Clare, Cork, Donegal, and Limerick. Year-to-date figures continue to track above the equivalent point in 2025, though comparisons should be treated with caution given differences in methodology.