Irish police 'acted appropriately' when pursuing car in M9 crash, watchdog finds

Irish police 'acted appropriately' while pursuing car in M9 crash, watchdog finds

Irish police "acted appropriately" during the pursuit of a car that crashed on the wrong side of the road in the Republic of Ireland last month, according to the police watchdog.

Five teenage boys were killed in the head-on collision on the M9, and four family members were seriously injured in the crash on 16 August.

The police ombudsman Fiosrú said Gardaí (Irish police) had been following the car on the N78 in Athy for a short time before it entered the M9 motorway against the flow of traffic.

Police Ombudsman Emily Logan said the force acted "in line with relevant policies and procedures as determined by the Garda Commissioner".

The watchdog launched its investigation into the incident after a mandatory referral from gardaí on 16 August 2026.

Its inquiry examined the actions and decisions taken during the interaction with the car, including the nature and extent of garda contact before the collision.

The aim of the investigation was to determine whether gardaí acted in accordance with the law and police policies and procedures.

The investigation found that on 16 August gardaí had pursued a BMW car after permission was granted by the Garda Control Room.

When the BMW entered the M9 dual carriageway, the pursuit was ended and the control room confirmed it should not continue.

Other garda units tried to position a stopping device at an appropriate location, but the BMW made a number of U-turns before fatally colliding with an oncoming car.

The five boys in the BMW died, and the four family members in the car it hit were seriously injured.

Logan added that when "someone dies in incidents involving contact with gardaí, it is mandatory that the matter is referred by gardaí to Fiosrú to investigate".

"Fiosrú's investigation was independent of gardaí and aimed to understand events leading up to the collision.

"My thoughts are with family and friends and all those affected by this devastating incident, including the gardaí who attended the scene."

The M9 incident is the sixth time a garda interaction with vehicles driving on the wrong side of the road has been reported between 2021 and 2026.