Seven friends and one lone driver killed in the worst crash on record in Ireland

SEVEN friends were killed along with another man in the worst road accident on record after watching Spain win the World Cup.

Some of the friends, who were all aged between 19 and 23, left their cars behind to take a lift after socialising in the village of Clonmany on the Inishowen peninsula.

Eight people were packed into a Volkswagen Passat which clipped a Renault Megane on the country road to Buncrana before ploughing head-on into a Toyota Corolla in a horror smash 200 metres away.

Both cars ended up in a ditch and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, gardaí said.

The driver of the Corolla, who was alone, was also killed — 66-year-old Hugh Friel, an unmarried man from Dunaff, Clonmany, was returning home after an evening at bingo in Buncrana.

The others were named as Paul Doherty, 19, from Ardagh, Ballyliffin; Ciarán Sweeney, 19, also from Ballyliffin; Patrick "PJ" McLaughlin, 21, from Rockstown, Tooban, Burnfoot; Mark McLaughlin, 21, from Ballynahone, Fahan; and his cousin Damien McLaughlin, 21, from Umricam, near Buncrana; Eamonn McDaid from Ballymagan, Buncrana; and James McEleney, 23, from Minaduff, Clonmany.

All the men died at the scene.

Fire service crews, paramedics and gardaí were said to have been in utter shock after seeing the scale of death and devastation on the rural road.

The driver of the car carrying the eight people was named as Sean Kelly from the Urris area. He was in a critical but stable condition in Letterkenny General Hospital last night.

It is believed he was driving some of the friends home to the Buncrana and Fahan areas while two others were also intending to continue socialising at the Liberties nightclub in Buncrana.

I want to extend my sincere sympathies to everyone who lost loved ones.