Co Donegal Ireland: St Patrick's Day parade cancelled in Letterkenny as man killed in horror crash - and another airlifted to hospital

A male pedestrian in his 60s has died following a collision involving a car and two pedestrians in Letterkenny, a town in Co Donegal, Ireland. A second pedestrian was airlifted to hospital in Galway and is continuing to receive medical treatment for injuries described as "serious" by police.

A Garda spokesperson said: "Gardaí continue to investigate a road traffic collision involving a car and two pedestrians, that occurred at Lower Main Street, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, this morning, Monday 17th March 2025. One of the pedestrians, a man aged in his 60’s who was seriously injured in the collision, passed away at Letterkenny University Hospital earlier today. The Coroner has been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged."

The incident occurred at Lower Main Street at around 3am, and has been referred to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), due to an earlier interaction between the driver of the car and gardaí. The driver of the car, a youth in his late teens, was arrested at the scene and he remains in Garda custody.

The scene is currently preserved for technical examination by Garda forensic collision investigators, with local diversions in place. Investigators are also appealing for witnesses, including those with dash cam footage, to come forward.

The Letterkenny Parade organisers said in a statement on social media that they had made the difficult decision not to proceed with the event, after consultation with An Garda Síochána, and in the interest of public safety. “The parade route is directly affected, making it impossible to proceed as planned,” they said, extending thanks to all who had worked to prepare for the event.