Tadhg Callaghan Carter, 15, has been named as the spectator who died following a crash at the Donegal International Rally on Saturday, June 20. The incident occurred on special stage 12 at Gartan, location 15, when a participating car left the road at a left-hand bend.
Crash Details and Emergency Response
Gardaí were alerted shortly before 5pm after a number of onlookers were injured in an incident involving a participating car at Trentagh, near Kilmacrennan. Tadhg was taken by ambulance to Letterkenny University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Two other spectators sustained non-life-threatening injuries and are receiving hospital treatment.
Investigation and Cancellation
Gardaí said the local coroner has been notified, a post-mortem examination will be arranged, and the scene has been preserved for a technical examination. In a statement, Motorsport Ireland and Donegal Motor Club cancelled the remainder of the event as a mark of respect, expressing deepest sympathies to the family and asking for privacy. Motorsport Ireland, as the governing body for four-wheeled motorsport, has begun a full investigation alongside Gardaí. Both organisations have urged the public not to share video footage of the accident circulating on social media.
The three-day event, described as one of the toughest rally challenges, features 20 stages around the north-west coast. Organisers say it attracts more than 70,000 spectators and nearly 400,000 viewers on TV and online.
