M8 Motorway Reopens Following Fatal Collision Investigation

The M8 northbound has reopened this evening after being closed for nearly 21 hours following a fatal collision near Mitchelstown on Saturday night.

The motorway between Junction 12 Mitchelstown North and Junction 11 Cahir South was cleared at 18:29 today, according to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, allowing normal traffic flow to resume on the busy Cork-Dublin route.

The road had remained closed since Saturday evening's fatal collision at approximately 9:15pm between a car and a 40-year-old male pedestrian at Carrigane, Mitchelstown. The extended closure allowed Garda Forensic Collision Investigators to conduct a thorough technical examination of the scene.

The reopening will come as relief to motorists who faced significant diversions and delays throughout the day on one of Munster's primary transport corridors. The closure had affected traffic travelling between Cork and Dublin, particularly impacting Sunday travel patterns.

The male driver of the vehicle involved in Saturday's collision, aged in his 20s, was uninjured. The victim's body was removed to Cork University Hospital mortuary, where a post-mortem examination will take place in due course.

Gardaí continue to appeal for witnesses to the collision and are seeking road users who may have camera footage, including dash-cam recordings, from the area at the time of the incident to contact Fermoy Garda Station on (025) 82 100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.