The north Cork town of Mitchelstown is still trying to come to terms with the latest road traffic tragedy which claimed the lives of three young local people returning from the Oxegen music festival.
Tom Frewen (22), his sister, Mary (19), from Curraghalla, Kilworth, and their friend Paul Geary (21) from Marshallstown were killed instantly when their car was in collision with a lorry at Clonad, Co Laois, on Monday.
Tom was a commerce student at University College Cork and Mary was a business studies student at the Cork Institute of Technology. Paul was a forestry graduate of Waterford Institute of Technology.
Both Tom and Mary Frewen had worked part-time at the nearby Corbett Court Hotel in Kilworth. Their younger sister and brother, Bríd and John jnr, also work there.
Hotel owner Declan Corbett spoke yesterday of the terrible sadness felt by their workmates at the tragic news, coming just three months after the death of another work colleague, Suzanne Sheehan, in a car crash near Cahir.
"Everybody here is going around crying, they don't know whether they are coming or going here since we got that dreaded phone call yesterday afternoon telling us what had happened," he said. "People are in an awful state."
Mr Corbett was highly critical of comments made by chairman of the National Road Safety Authority, Gay Byrne, on Morning Ireland yesterday in which he said that gardaí were doing all they could and people would have to take responsibility for their driving.
"I think Gay Byrne should resign. Himself and Minister Michael McDowell are out of step with the real world. What happened yesterday in Laois and in Galway and elsewhere around the country over the weekend is what's happening in the real world," Mr Corbett said.
"I had to do something yesterday that neither Gay Byrne nor Michael McDowell have had to do - go into a home where a family have lost their son and daughter in a road accident and see their lives ruined. I have never seen a family so devastated.
"Gay Byrne doesn't know what's happening in the real world here in rural Ireland - he's no good as a role model for young people.
"I believe the National Roads Safety Authority should have someone like Seán Óg Ó hAilpín as a role model - young people look up to Seán Óg," Mr Corbett added.
"If Gay Byrne says something, it's old hat and no young person will listen."
Mr Corbett said he believed gardaí were doing a reasonable job and the quality of the roads were improving, but that nationally signage on the roads remained at a very poor standard.
The bodies of Tom and Mary Frewen will be removed from their home to Curraghala church tonight at 8pm and buried at Brigown Cemetery, Mitchelstown, following Requiem Mass at 3pm tomorrow.
The body of Paul Geary will be removed from O'Brien's Funeral Home in Mitchelstown tonight at 6pm to Mary Conceived Without Sin parish church. He will be buried at Marshallstown Cemetery following Requiem Mass at noon tomorrow.
