Mayor in Kildare calls for preventative measures following devastating M9 incident

Five teenagers were killed and four other people were seriously injured in a road traffic collision on the M9 motorway

By Ciarán Mather Published 17th Aug 2026, 14:00 BST 'Shocked and heartbroken': Mayor in Kildare calls for preventative measures following devastating M9 incident | FILE PHOTOGRAPH / PIXABAY Five teenagers were killed and four other people were seriously injured in a road traffic collision on the M9 motorway Sign up to our Kildare Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kildare Live within your account.

The Mayor of the Athy Municipal District (MD) has called for preventative measures following a devastating road traffic collision which occurred on the M9 motorway in South Kildare yesterday.

The comments, which were made by Labour Party councillor Mark Leigh, come as five teenagers, all occupants of one of the vehicles, died in the collision.

Four other people were seriously injured in the collision, one of whom is a child.

Read More Stage set for inaugural Féile Springsteen in Kildare Major ALDI store in Kildare to reopen this week after €4 million revamp Three blood donation clinics coming soon to this Kildare town LATEST: Post mortem examinations due following horrific Kildare crash Speaking about the collision, Mayor Leigh said the M9 tragedy has left the Athy community ‘shocked and heartbroken’.

He also emphasised: “Five young lives have been lost, while an innocent family travelling to Dublin Airport has also suffered devastating injuries.”

Mayor of the Athy MD, Labour Party Cllr Mark Leigh | PHOTOGRAPH CREDIT: KILDARECOCO.IE Mayor Leigh elaborated by saying that his ‘thoughts are with all of the families involved, and with the emergency services and gardaí who had to deal with such a horrific scene’.

“Whatever the circumstances, driving the wrong way on a motorway is an appalling and reckless act that can have catastrophic consequences for completely innocent road users,” Mayor Leigh added. “We need to understand how incidents like this are happening and ensure every possible measure is taken to prevent another family from experiencing this kind of unimaginable loss.”

Furthermore, a separate Athy MD representative, Fine Gael Cllr Ivan Keatley, spoke about the incident during an interview with Virgin Media News.

He also urged anyone with information and / or footage relating to the collision to contact gardaí.

Cllr Keatley previously served as the Mayor of the MD until Cllr Leigh succeeded him last month.