One person was killed and three others injured yesterday the first fatal collision in the county this year.
The incident happened at around 4.45pm on the R478 Lisdoonvarna to Lahinch road at Doonagore near Doolin. The route is part of the Wild Atlantic Way.
The emergency response to the incident involved An Garda, the National Ambulance Service, local authority fire service, Irish Air Corps and Irish Coast Guard.
A car collided with a motorcycle at the turn off for Doonagore Castle, a popular local landmark overlooking Doolin and the Atlantic Ocean.
Ambulances from Ennistymon and Ennis responded to the collision along with units of the fire brigade and Gardaí from Ennistymon.
The HSE’s National Aeromedical Command Centre (NACC) dispatched the Emergency Aeromedical Service (EAS) air ambulance while the Shannon based Irish Coast Guard search and rescue helicopter was also requested to assist in an air ambulance role.
Members of the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard were sent to the scene to secure a safe landing site for the helicopters.
There were three people, believed to be Polish nationals, in the car while the motorcyclist is believed to be a retired garda.
The front seat passenger of the car, a 35-year-old man, was seriously injured and pronounced dead at the scene. His body has been taken to the morgue at University Hospital Limerick where a postmortem will take place.
The male driver and a female passenger, both in their mid 30’s, were also injured in the collision and taken to Galway University Hospital and UHL. Their injuries are described as non life threatening.
The motorcyclist was seriously injured and was airlifted by the Irish Coast Guard helicopter to UHL for treatment.
The road was closed for a time pending completion of a crash scene forensic examination.
Gardaí from Ennistymon are investigating the circumstances of the incident. Witnesses are asked to contact them in Ennistymon on 065 7072180, the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
Until yesterday there had been no fatal traffic collisions in Co Clare in 2016 while there were two last year.