Three sisters in critical condition after wrong-way M9 crash kills five teenagers

Three sisters from County Carlow are fighting for their lives after their car was struck head-on by a vehicle traveling the wrong way on the M9 motorway in County Kildare early on Sunday, August 16, 2026. The collision, which occurred shortly before 3 a.m. near Moone, also claimed the lives of five teenagers in the other car.

Niamh Kinsella and Alma Kinsella, both in their 30s, remain in critical condition at Tallaght Hospital. Their sister, Ella Hendricken, in her 20s, is being treated for serious injuries at St. Vincent's Hospital. A seven-year-old boy, identified as Hendricken's nephew, is receiving care at Crumlin Children's Hospital for injuries including a broken leg. The family was traveling to Dublin Airport to catch a flight to a wedding in the United Kingdom when the crash occurred.

The five occupants of the BMW, all teenagers, died at the scene. They have been named locally as Jeremy O'Brien, 18, and Alex McCarthy, 17, both from Carlow; Joey Carthy, 15, and Jack Kennedy, 17, both from Athy, County Kildare; and Kamil Pustkowski, 17, from Limerick. Gardaí suspect the vehicle was linked to a burglary before it was driven against traffic on the motorway. Reports indicate...