A 53-year-old man has been sentenced for careless driving causing the death of a Kilmacthomas man in 2019 at an accident blackspot.
Grandfather, Oliver Kirwan, was killed in a collision at Carroll's Cross on the N25, which has since undergone major redevelopment work.
Following a weeklong trial in December, Edward McCarthy of Gurranabraher, Cork was found guilty by a jury of careless driving causing death.
75-year-old Mr Kirwan died in a collision at Carroll's Cross on the 16th of July 2019.
Mr McCarthy, who has a string of previous convictions including for driving offences, was uninsured at the time and was not in possession of a driving licence.
The court heard Mr McCarthy's last valid driving licence was a provisional one which expired in 1996.
Traffic calming measures have been implemented at Carroll's Cross since the incident.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Kirwan's son-in-law Michael Byrne outlined the huge void which had been left in their lives as a result of his death.
Mr Kirwan was described as a beloved grandfather who had now missed out on key family events and would not see his grandchildren grow up.
Mr Byrne said the family's world had been turned upside down and spoke of the feelings of sadness and upset they feel every day.
In handing down sentence at Waterford Circuit Court today (Friday), Judge Eugene O'Kelly said Mr McCarthy was not experienced or qualified to drive in the manner in which he approached the junction and was unable to deal with an emergency situation. He spoke of his blatant disregard for road traffic legislation.
He sentenced him to one year and six months imprisonment for careless driving causing death and also handed down a five month imprisonment sentence for driving without insurance, with both sentences to run concurrently. Mr McCarthy was disqualified from driving for six years and fined €800 for driving without a licence.
Since the incident, major redevelopment work has taken place at Carroll's Cross which for many years was highlighted as an accident blackspot by local politicians and residents.
A project undertaken by Waterford Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland has seen a number of traffic calming measures implemented at the junction.
