A fatal two-vehicle collision on the M9 motorway in County Kildare has left a number of people dead and four others hospitalised, according to Irish police. The crash happened on the M9 Northbound at Junction 3 at approximately 03:00 local time on Sunday, when a car travelling the wrong way on the northbound carriageway struck another vehicle head-on.
Gardaí said the vehicle had been driving southbound on the northbound side of the motorway before colliding directly with a second car travelling in the correct direction.
Who was hurt in the crash?
Four occupants of the second vehicle were taken to hospital following the impact. The driver and front-seat passenger, both women in their 30s, were brought to Tallaght University Hospital, where they remain in critical condition.
A rear-seat passenger, a woman in her 20s, was taken to St. Luke's General Hospital and is described as being in a serious condition. A child who was also travelling in the car was transferred to Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin and is likewise in a serious condition.
Why is the M9 still closed?
The stretch of the M9 between Junction 3 and Junction 4 remains shut in both directions while investigations continue at the scene. Local diversions have been put in place to manage traffic around the closed section.
Does this fit a wider pattern of road danger in the area?
The crash comes amid what appears to be a broader rise in serious collisions on the M9 corridor. According to a regional radio station's report, Gardaí attended 55 collisions on the M9 in the Kildare/Carlow division in 2025, up from 41 in 2024 and 35 in 2023.
Separately, according to RoadDeaths.ie, seven fatalities were recorded across four counties between 10 and 13 August 2026, placing this Kildare crash within a particularly deadly stretch on Irish roads.
What are Gardaí asking of the public?
Investigators are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision to come forward. They are also asking road users who travelled the M9 northbound or southbound between 02:00 and 03:00 on Sunday, and who may have dashcam footage of the incident or the surrounding area, to make that footage available to Gardaí.
Gardaí confirmed that Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, has been formally notified of the incident, as is standard procedure following a fatal road collision.
What happens next?
The investigation into the M9 crash continues, with no further updates on charges or findings yet available. Separately, according to an official Garda press release, police issued a separate appeal on 10 August 2026 for witnesses to a serious injury collision in Monasterevin, also in County Kildare, though that incident is unrelated to the M9 crash.
- Collision occurred on the M9 Northbound at Junction 3, County Kildare, around 03:00 on Sunday
- A vehicle travelling the wrong way struck another car head-on
- Two women in their 30s are in critical condition at Tallaght University Hospital
- A woman in her 20s and a child are in serious condition at separate hospitals
- The M9 remains closed between Junctions 3 and 4 in both directions
