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VIGILS WILL TAKE place across three counties this evening as communities continue to mourn the five young people who died in a crash outside Dundalk on Saturday evening.
Chloe McGee, Alan McCluskey, Dylan Commins, Shay Duffy and Chloe Hipson were killed when a Volkswagen Golf they were travelling in collided with a Toyota Landcruiser on the L3168 shortly after 9pm on Saturday.
They were all aged in their early 20s.
Three others remain in hospital, including a sixth young person who had been travelling in the Golf.
Across Louth, Meath and Monaghan, mourning continues for the victims.
A book of condolence has opened at Dundalk Institute of Technology, where Chloe Hipson was a student and where Shay Duffy completed his plumbing apprenticeship.
Louth County Council will also open more books of condolence to the public today in the civic offices in Ardee offices in Ardee, Dundalk and Drogheda.
This evening, candlelit vigils in memory of the victims will be held at Aughnamullen GAA grounds in Monaghan, Drumconrath GAA grounds in Meath and Ardee GAA grounds in Louth, all at 7pm.
Tributes have continued to pour in for the five young people.
Fr Finian Connaughton, parish priest in Drumconrath, described 23-year-old Alan McCluskey as an “extremely hard-working chap” who was woven into the fabric of the local community.
“In our community here, the grief is beyond description,” he said.
Monsignor Shane McCaughey, who spent time with the McGee family, said they had “collapsed” upon hearing the news.
Chloe, 23, had just secured her dream permanent teaching position at Ó Fiaich College and had recently returned from a holiday celebrating the job offer with her boyfriend Alan.
Ó Fiaich principal Padraig McGovern said Chloe was “part of the fabric of our school” and someone who always went the extra mile for her students.
21-year-old Shay Duffy, from Magheracloone, was remembered as a popular and dedicated GAA player with Magheracloone Mitchells.
“Words are insufficient,” Mgr McCaughey said. “They can’t carry the emotion we wish to express.”
Tributes also continued for 23-year-old Dylan Commins from Ardee, described by friends as “the heart of a car community” who helped people “day and night” through his recovery service.
In Scotland, North Motherwell FC said they were “devastated” by the loss of 21-year-old Chloe Hipson, the younger sister of long-time player Ryan Hipson.
The scene of the collision has since reopened as a garda investigation into the crash continues.
Garda Superintendent Charlie Armstrong praised the emergency services who attended the scene on what he described as a “dark, wet and windy night.”
Forensic examinations of the vehicles and crash site are continuing.
Families have been updated, and gardaí continue to appeal for witnesses or anyone with dashcam or phone footage from the Gibstown area between 8.30pm and 9.15pm on Saturday.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Dundalk Garda Station (042 938 8400), the Garda Confidential Line (1800 666 111), or any garda station,” a garda spokesperson said.
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