A motorist escaped serious injury after their car collided with a number of horses on a roadway in Co Clare early this morning.
Emergency services were alerted shortly after 6.00am to the incident involving a car and at least one horse on the R458 road at Knocknamanna the outskirts of Clarecastle.
Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service responded to the scene along with Gardaí.
The roadway was closed for a time so emergency crews could safely deal with the incident. An emergency traffic management system was later put in place to allow the safe movement of vehicles by the scene.
One horse died at the location while the sole occupant of the car sustained minor cuts but was otherwise uninjured despite their vehicle being extensively damaged.
Two horses were later reported to be on the loose in Clarecastle village but it’s now understood that all three had been involved in the original collision.
Gardaí later located two horses in Clarecastle. One had been gravely injured and a vet had to be called to deal with the animal. The entrance to Quay Road in Clarecastle was closed until the animal could be removed from the scene.
Both dead horses were recovered from the separate scenes shortly before 9.00am while animal rescue services were requested to take the third animal into care.
It’s also believed it’s the third similar incident on the same stretch of road in recent months involving animals found loose on the roadway.
Gardaí in Ennis are investigating the circumstances of the incident and are trying to establish where the animals came from and who owns them.
A Garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí attended the scene of road traffic incidents this morning outside of Clarecastle, Co. Clare Tuesday 3rd March 2026 at approximately 6 am.
One horse was killed and one horse was injured as a result. No persons reported injuries at this time.
Investigations are ongoing.”
