Drunk Driver Jailed for Killing Cyclist With Children in Car

Saoirse Lillis McMahon sentenced to five years in prison following fatal collision with cyclist

Saoirse Lillis McMahon has been sentenced to five years in prison for the death of a 70-year-old teacher following a collision on the N67 in West Clare. At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford handed down the custodial sentence, which includes a suspension of the final six months of the term.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a seven-year driving ban on Lillis McMahon, 33, of Moveen East, Kilkee. The sentencing follows a prosecution for dangerous driving causing the death of Michael Lorigan.

Details of the collision and intoxication

The court heard that the incident occurred on August 16, 2023, at Baunmore, Kilkee. At the time of the crash, Lillis McMahon was driving while under the influence of alcohol and a “cocktail” of drugs, which included cocaine. An open bottle of wine was also located on the passenger seat of the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Lillis McMahon’s two sons, aged six and nine at the time of the incident, were passengers in the car during the collision.

The victim, Michael Lorigan, was a teacher who was nearing the end of a 55-mile cycle. He was approximately five miles away from meeting his wife, Dympna, in Kilkee, where the couple had planned to celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary.

Victim impact statements and judicial remarks

During the sentencing hearing, the court heard four victim impact statements. Dympna Lorigan testified that she had passed her husband in her car at 12:15 p.m. On the day of the accident, noting that it was the last time she saw him alive.

In his remarks, Judge Comerford stated that Lillis McMahon was driving the vehicle “when she was completely unfit to drive and posed a real danger to anyone that she came across.” The judge further noted that the intoxicants in her system posed a “very real danger” to her two young children who were passengers in the car.