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LAST UPDATE | 17 Nov 2025
TRIBUTES CONTINUE TO pour in for five young people who lost their lives in a collision in Co Louth on Saturday evening.
Three men and two women, all in their early 20s, died when a Volkswagen Golf collided with a Toyota Landcruiser on a local road south of Dundalk shortly after 9pm on Saturday.
Three others were injured in the collision and taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
The five young victims of the tragic crash have since been named as Chloe McGee, Alan McCluskey, Dylan Commins, Shay Duffy and Chloe Hipson.
President Catherine Connolly led tributes to the five victims yesterday, saying she was “deeply saddened and shocked by the loss of five precious young lives”.
Drumconrath priest Fr Finian Connaughton said that there was “devastation” in his local community following the tragic news.
He described 23-year-old Alan McCluskey, a Drumconrath native, as a “lovely young fellow” and an “extremely hard working chap” who was engrained in the “tight-knit” community of Drumconrath.
“Alan and his family were very much involved here in the parish, so it was devastation to hear that news, and we as a community are grieving so severely,” Fr Connaughton told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
In our community here, the grief is beyond description.
Monsignor Shane McCaughey from Co Monaghan, also paid tribute to the five young people killed in the crash.
“It has just been a terrible experience for the families involved,” he said.
The priest spent time with Chloe McGee’s family yesterday, who he said had “collapsed” at the news of the crash.
“It was the most terrible experience to witness such such unrelenting grief, a cry from the heart of parents and siblings and friends who were with us in the house at that time,” McCaughey said.
Chloe, a 23-year-old who had recently received a permanent job contract at her “dream” teaching post at Ó Fiaich College in Dundalk, had “made such a huge success in her life”.
He added that Chloe was in a relationship with fellow crash victim Alan McCluskey, and the pair had just returned from a holiday to celebrate her full-time job offer.
Padraig McGovern, principal at Ó Fiaich College, described Chloe as “a part of of the fabric of our school”.
“She loved to help her students love to go the extra mile,” McGovern told RTÉ.
“She was full of fun, achievement and success and was looking forward to the weekend – within 24 hours, that had all changed drastically.”
McCaughey also paid tribute to Shay Duffy, a 21-year-old from Magheracloone close to Carrickmacross.
He described Shay as a popular community figure who had played for the local GAA club Magheracloone Mitchells.
Words really are insufficient. They’re not capable of carrying the emotion that we wish to show and to express to the families.
A number of people paid tribute to Dylan Commins from Ardee, Co Louth, who was described as an avid motorsport enthusiast.
CC Styling & Performance, an autorepair shop in Carrickmacross described Dylan as “the heart of a car community”.
“He ran a recovery service where he helped people day and night,” one tribute wrote.
In Scotland, tributes have been paid to 21-year-old Chloe Hipson, who also died in the collision.
North Motherwell FC said they would be holding a one minute silence in memory of Chloe, who is the younger sister of their veteran player Ryan Hipson.
In a tribute on social media, the team said they were “devastated to hear the tragic news”.
Dundalk Garda Superintendent Charlie Armstrong paid tribute to the victims and their families this morning.
He also praised the response of gardaí and emergency services to the crash on Saturday.
“It was a dark wet and windy night, and I’d like to commend the professionalism of all services that attended there,” Armstrong said.
He added that a number of gardaí in Dundalk worked many extra hours this weekend in response to the collision.
“You’re aware that you may have to attend these scenes, but you hope you don’t have to – you see things you can’t unsee,” Armstrong said.
Gardaí said the remains of the five victims will be brought to the morgue at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda where post mortems will take place over the coming days.
The scene at the R3168 has been examined by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Local traffic diversions remain in place to facilitate further examinations and searches today.
Following forensic examinations at the scene by the State Pathologist Linda Mulligan, both vehicles were removed to a secure location shortly after 6pm yesterday evening.
The families of each of the deceased has been updated on the ongoing investigation.
Gardaí are continuing to appeal to any person with any information about the collision to contact the investigation team at Dundalk Garda Station.
They are appealing to any person who was on the L3168 between 8.30pm and 9.15pm on Saturday to contact them, or any person who might have camera footage or images from the L3168, Gibstown area between 8.30pm and 9.15pm to provide it to them.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dundalk Garda Station on 042 938 8400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
With reporting from Jane Moore
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