Police on alert as funeral held for teenagers killed in Ireland wrong-way crash

Funerals have been held for two teenagers killed when the car they were in drove the wrong way down a motorway and crashed into another vehicle.

There was a police presence at Friday's funeral masses for Joe Carthy, 15, and Alex McCarthy, 17.

They were among five teenagers killed when the vehicle they were in drove the wrong way along the M9 and collided with a car carrying three sisters - Ella Hendricken and Niamh and Alma Kinsella - and a young boy.

They remain in hospital with serious injuries.

The other three teenagers who died in the County Kildare crash were Jack Kennedy, Kamil Pustkowski, both 17, and Jeremy O'Brien, 18.

A vigil is being held on Friday evening in support of the Kinsella family, who were travelling to Dublin Airport for a wedding.

The crash has ignited national debate in Ireland about dangerous driving and the regulation of social media, after it emerged some of the teenagers had posted content of cars being stolen and driven illegally.

Joe Carthy's funeral began in Athy, Co Kildare, where police were highly visible in the town amid concern about the risk of public disorder.

The coffin arrived at the church on a white horse-drawn carriage.

Mourners followed the coffin inside, wearing white T-shirts depicting an image of the boy, while others raised framed photographs.

The priest extended his "sincere sympathy to Joe's family", adding: "We gather with sorrow in our hearts."

National police and security officers maintained checkpoints on the road into town, and police were stationed around the church.

Outside the service, a screen displayed pictures and videos while music played, and white flowers were placed around the church's entrance.

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There were similar scenes at the funeral for Alex McCarthy in Askea, Co Carlow, with police present and a horse-drawn carriage bringing the coffin to church.

Father Tom Little told mourners they had come together "with heavy hearts and a deep sense of sadness" as he said prayers would remember "families on both sides of the accident".

"Conscious that lives have been lost, others have been injured, and families have been left to carry the grief that is so difficult to put into words," he said.

"A tragic accident can happen in seconds and the result of it can last a lifetime. These types of accidents bring a deep sense of shock, anger, questions, regret, and even a sense of disbelief."

Elsewhere in Carlow, the vigil for the three sisters and the boy will be held on Friday night.

A fundraiser for the family has raised £548,000, amid an outpouring of public support.

The crash has also shifted attention onto Ireland's child and family agency, Tusla, after the organisation confirmed one of the teenagers was in its care and two other boys were "known" to it.

Government and opposition politicians have criticised social media companies for failing to quickly remove content depicting dangerous driving.

TikTok declined to appear before a parliamentary committee probing content depicting unsafe driving on social media.

Irish justice minister Jim O'Callaghan committed to providing An Garda Síochána with "whatever resources they require" to deal with dangerous driving, including introducing pursuit-specific training for the first time.

It emerged in the wake of the crash that gardai had been instructed not to pursue the vehicle after it began deliberately driving the wrong direction down the motorway.

(c) Sky News 2026: Police on alert as funeral held for teenagers killed in Ireland wrong-way crash