Co Louth victims’ funeral plans outlined by households as two to happen immediately

Today, funerals will be held for two of the victims of a tragic road accident in Co Louth. Friends Chloe McGee, 23, Alan McCluskey, 23, Shay Duffy, 21, Dylan Commins, 23, and Chloe Hipson, 21, lost their lives in the crash on Saturday night.

The group were travelling together in a Volkswagen Golf, heading to Dundalk for an evening out. A sixth person, a man also in his 20s, was taken to hospital for treatment and has since been discharged. Two other people, a man and a woman in their 20s, who were travelling in a separate car, were also injured in the crash.

A funeral mass for Mr McCluskey is set to take place at St Peter and Paul’s Church in Drumconrath at 10am today, followed by a burial in Drumconrath Cemetery. “Alan will be forever remembered and greatly missed by his heartbroken family, parents Martin and Bernie, sisters Sharon, Tracey and Kellie, brothers-in-law Conleth McAlinden and Alan Wall, aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, neighbours and a large circle of great friends,” reads a death notice for Mr McCluskey.

Mr Commins will be given a final farewell this afternoon. His body will be taken to the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in Ardee at 1.15pm, with a funeral mass following at 2pm. He will then be laid to rest in Old St Mary’s Cemetery. The death notice states: “Sadly missed by his heartbroken family, his parents Thomas and Denise, sisters Lauren and her partner Finn, Jessica and her partner Colm and Sarah, granny Sheila, aunts and uncles Brendan (Ann), Claire (John), Suzanne (John), Kitty (Gary), Margaret (Brian) and Denis (Aelish), cousins, relatives and his wide circle of trusted friends.”

On Saturday, a funeral mass for Ms McGee will take place at St Joseph’s Church in Carrickmacross at 11am. She will then be buried in St Joseph’s Cemetery.

Mr Duffy’s funeral will be held at St Patrick’s Church in Rockchapel at 1pm on Saturday, followed by a burial in the nearby cemetery.

A gathering for the loved ones of Ms Hipson was held at Quinn’s Funeral Homes in Dundalk on Wednesday evening. Hundreds of people participated in vigils on Tuesday evening to remember the five young lives tragically cut short.

Three separate vigils took place in Ardee, Drumconrath and Aughnamullen.

Ms McGee and Mr Duffy were both from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan. Mr McCluskey hailed from Drumconrath in Co Meath, while Mr Commins was a native of Ardee in Co Louth.

Ms Hipson was originally from Lanarkshire in Scotland.

Ms McGee served as a teacher at the Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education in Dundalk, having recently secured a permanent position. She was romantically involved with Mr McCluskey, who worked alongside his father Martin on their family farm.

Mr Duffy, fondly remembered for his prowess on the GAA pitch and a student at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT), was nearing the end of his plumbing apprenticeship. A fan of cars and motocross, Mr Commins was employed by a car sales company and had been friends with Mr McCluskey since childhood.

Ms Hipson, residing in Carrickmacross, was in her second year studying quantity surveying at DkIT. Originally from Scotland, she moved to Ireland for her studies.