Major garda investigations continue as two children dead after hit-and-runs
Drivers in both incidents in Clonlara and Rathkeale failed to remain at the scene
TWO MAJOR garda investigations are under way in Limerick following the deaths of two young boys, aged 2 and 16, in separate hit-and-run collisions over the weekend.
Gardai have issued an appeal for information about the occupants of a car after Bryan Lowe, 16, a student in Limerick city, died following a fatal collision in Clonlara at around 11pm on Friday.
The teenager was riding an e-bike at the time. A second vehicle involved in the incident failed to remain at the scene.
Meanwhile, the vehicle involved in a collision in Rathkeale on Saturday which claimed the life of two-year-old Peter Mulcaire also failed to remain at the scene.
A male driver of the vehicle, aged in his 30s, was subsequently arrested at a different location by gardaí on suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant.
The deaths of both young boys have left their families and wider communities devastated.
The mother of Bryan Lowe posted on social media following the collision: “It’s a crime scene now so funeral arrangements to follow. My son, I can’t. Help me Lord”.
Crystal Lowe later added that she was “escorting my one and only son Bryan Lowe to the morgue”, followed by the words “heart broken”. The teenager’s sister Chloe posted: “I cannot describe the pain and heartache we feel. I wish you’d just ring me and tell me you’re ok. I love you with every piece of my broken heart”.
Tribute after tribute has been posted in memory of the popular teenager who was a sixth-year pupil at St Munchin’s College in Limerick.
The school described him as an “absolute gentleman” who “would do anything asked of him without complaint”.
Gardaí are interested in speaking to the driver or occupants of a silver/gold colour Skoda Octavia, registration number 05-C-5982, driving in the vicinity of Clonlara/Castleconnell between the hours of 6pm on Friday, September 4 and 11am on Saturday, September 5.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the little boy who lost his life in a collision in Rathkeale on Saturday had only started preschool last week.
“My Baby Boy Off To Preschool,” Peter Mulcaire’s proud mother Kerrie Mulcaire posted on Facebook with photos of the beaming blond-haired child with his school bag on his back.
Behind him was a balloon display specifically designed for the little boy with the words “Peter’s first day of preschool 2026”.
The two-year-old died on Saturday after a collision involving a jeep at Abbey Court, Rathkeale shortly after 3:50pm. It is understood Peter was playing at the time.
He was conveyed to University Hospital Limerick for treatment of serious injuries. He was subsequently pronounced deceased.
Tributes have been pouring in for the “little angel” since news of the tragedy broke with people offering their love and support to his parents, brother and sister.
The vehicle involved in the collision did not remain at the scene. “A male driver of the vehicle, aged in his 30s, was subsequently arrested at a different location by gardaí on suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant,” said a garda spokesperson
The man was conveyed to a garda station in County Limerick for the purpose of providing a blood/urine evidential sample. He has since been released pending analysis of the evidential sample.
The investigation is ongoing.