Three men in their 20s have been killed following separate road collisions in counties Laois and Clare.
Two men were killed in a crash near Mountrath, Co Laois.
The men died when their car collided with a minibus shortly after 7am on the N7 main Limerick to Dublin road at Aughafan.
The men, who were on their way to work at a construction site in Portlaoise, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The two men have been named locally as 22-year-old Paul Considine and 24-year-old Jeffrey Power, both from Limerick city.
A woman driving the minibus has been taken to the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise with knee and rib injuries.
The N7 was closed between Pike of Rushall and Mountrath for a time but has since reopened.
Witness or anyone with information is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda Station 057-8674100 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800-666111.
Gardaí have appealed to the drivers of two trucks who were on the N7 this morning around the time of the crash to come forward to help them with their inquiries.
Inspector Martin Cashen of Portlaoise Garda Station said the gardaí are hopeful the drivers may have seen what happened prior to the collision.
Elsewhere, a man in his early 20s has died following a two-car collision in Co Clare this evening.
Three other people who were injured in the incident been brought to hospital.
It happened just after 5pm just outside Miltown-Malbay on the Lahinch to Ennistymon Road.
The scene is sealed off and diversions are in place.
