Deaths of Una Bowden and two daughters in Mayo road crash an ‘unspeakable tragedy’, coroner says

A coroner has described the death of Una Bowden and her two daughters in a road crash in Co Mayo earlier this year as an “unspeakable” tragedy.

Ms Bowden (47) and daughters Ciara (14) and Saoirse (10), from Moycullen, Co Galway, died in a collision between their car and an oil tanker on the main N17 outside Claremorris, Co Mayo, on March 26.

Opening their inquests on Monday, Mayo coroner Pat O’Connor offered his “deepest and sincere” condolences to David Bowden, who lost his wife and daughters.

“What can one say to adequately describe the loss and devastation of Mr Bowden on the passing of his wife and children? It is unspeakable,” he said.

Mr Bowden had been working in Africa when he was informed of the deaths of his wife and daughters.

Mr O’Connor said the scale of the tragedy saw the “complete annihilation” of Mr Bowden’s family – “three people in the prime of their lives”.

Mr O’Connor said the road where the tragedy occurred, the N17, was one of two roads in Co Mayo which have been the scene of a significant number of tragedies.

The other road where numerous fatal accidents have occurred is the N5 near Swinford where, among others, Ciaran Keating, a brother of the singer Ronan Keating, died in July 2023.

Despite both national routes being “two of our better roads” in the county, they have been the scene of horrific road tragedies, Mr O’Connor said.

The coroner appealed to the authorities within An Garda Síochána, and to Tom Gilligan, director of services at Mayo County Council, to bring their foremost attention to the matter.

Mr O’Connor also disputed a claim made at a recent Mayo County Council meeting, that he as coroner had never contacted the council regarding his concerns about road deaths, as “completely untrue”.

Mr O’Connor said the purpose of opening the inquests into the deaths of the Bowden family was to assist David Bowden in formal matters.

He said the first hearing would deal only with identification and the cause of death of Una and her daughters and would be adjourned pending the outcome of a Garda investigation.

Dr Fadel Bennani, consultant pathologist at Mayo University Hospital, said Una, Ciara and Saoirse Bowden were identified through DNA analysis.

Dr Bennani said all three victims died due to severe injuries sustained in a road traffic accident.

A toxicology screening found no trace of alcohol or intoxicants in Una Bowden’s system.

The coroner commended Dr Bennani and his staff at the mortuary in Mayo University Hospital for their professionalism and dedication.

Mr O’Connor also paid tribute to the gardaí and emergency services who attended the scene and those gardaí who are still investigating the tragedy.

He praised both services for their professionalism and their commitment to public duty for what he said must have been an “extremely difficult and traumatic” experience for them.

Echoing the coroner’s comments, Sergeant Kevin McHale, of Claremorris garda station, said it had been a very traumatic experience for motorists who came upon the scene.

Sgt McHale extended his sympathies on behalf of the gardaí to Mrs Bowden’s father, John Carlin, and her sisters.

Sgt McHale said the deaths of Ciara and Saoirse must be deeply felt by their school friends in Galway.

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