Boy, 2, dies in Limerick hit-and-run; driver arrested

A two-year-old boy has died following an alleged hit-and-run incident in Rathkeale, County Limerick, Ireland. The toddler, identified locally as Peter Mulcaire, was struck by a vehicle while playing with a toy tractor on Saturday, September 5, 2026. The collision occurred shortly after 3:50 p.m. in the Abbey Court area of Rathkeale. Emergency services transported the boy to University Hospital Limerick with serious injuries, where he was later pronounced deceased. A postmortem examination is scheduled to take place. Authorities reported that the vehicle involved in the incident did not remain at the scene. A male driver, aged in his 30s, was subsequently arrested at a different location on suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant. He was taken to a Garda station in County Limerick to provide evidential samples and has since been released pending the analysis of those samples. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Gardaí are appealing for witnesses and requesting that anyone who was traveling in the vicinity of Abbey Court, Rathkeale, between 3:20 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 5, 2026, come forward.