Tributes have been paid after a man, woman and three-year-old boy were killed in a car crash in Co Tipperary, days after four young people died in a separate crash in the county.
The man and the woman, both aged in their 40s, are the grandparents of the young boy, the PA news agency understands.
The driver of the car and the front seat passenger, a man and a woman both aged in their 20s respectively, are understood to be the parents of the boy.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “My sincere condolences to the friends and family of the people killed in the road incident in Cashel. May they rest in peace.”
The single-vehicle collision occurred shortly before 9pm on Tuesday when a car hit a wall in the Windmill-Knockbulloge area of Cashel.
The bodies of the man and woman aged in their 40s and the young boy have been taken to Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel.
The man and woman aged in their 20s continue to receive treatment in Tipperary University Hospital for serious injuries.
The Cashel crash follows just days after a separate collision shocked the community of nearby Clonmel.
Our community is struck by another blow, it's a very upsetting situation, especially with a child involved— Local councillor Declan Burgess
Twenty-four-year-old Luke McSweeney, his 18-year-old sister Grace McSweeney and Zoey Coffey and Nicole Murphy, both also 18, were killed in that crash on Friday evening.
Mr McSweeney was driving the teenagers to a bus on Friday when the car overturned and crashed into a wall in Clonmel.
The youngsters were on their way to celebrate their Leaving Cert exam results, which they had received earlier on Friday.
Mr Varadkar added: “”My thoughts are with everyone in Tipperary with this awful news coming so soon after the tragic deaths in Clonmel.”
Following the Cashel crash, the road in the Windmill-Knockbulloge area remains closed to traffic, and Garda Forensic Collision Investigators are attending the scene on Wednesday morning to conduct an examination.
Local councillor Declan Burgess expressed his sympathies to the family, who he said were “well known” in the area, and thanked first responders who attended the scene.
He also thanked local residents near the crash who were at the scene on Tuesday night.
“Particularly following the tragedy in Clonmel, it’s awful news,” he told PA.
“Our community is struck by another blow, it’s a very upsetting situation, especially with a child involved.
“On behalf of the town, I want to express my deepest condolences to the families affected, Cashel is still trying to cope with this.
“Our thoughts are also with the two people who are still in hospital.
“I want to thank the brilliant first responders who attended the scene, and to thank the residents of the Windmill-Knockbulloge area who were first on the scene.”
Local councillor Roger Kennedy described it as a “terribly sad situation”.
“My sympathies to the family involved,” he said, adding it was tragic “to lose three of the same family”.
“They are a large extended family, they have great support here and there will be great support for them from the community.”
The road remains closed on Wednesday morning and is not expected to reopen for some time. Local diversions are in place.
An incident room has been established at Cahir Garda Station and a Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation.
Gardai are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to contact the investigation team.
Any road users who may have camera or dash-cam footage and were travelling in the Windmill Knockbulloge area near Cashel between 8.30pm and 9.15pm on Tuesday are asked to make it available to Gardai.
