Two American tourists remain in hospital, one in a critical condition, following a crash with a ministerial car in Co Kerry yesterday.
The head-on collision between the couple's rental car and a Volvo carrying the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív, happened on the road between Ring of Kerry attractions Muckross House and Torc Waterfall at about 2.40 p.m.
Five people - the tourists, Mr Ó Cuív, his male garda driver and female secretary - were taken by ambulance to Kerry General Hospital. The couple, one of whom is understood to be in a serious condition, are from St Louis.
Mr Ó Cuív, who was released from hospital last night after receiving treatment for a broken wrist, a possible wrist injury and a gash to his left arm, told RTÉ radio this morning he was only alive because of the skill of his driver.
He said conditions were fine and that as the other car came "straight at them" it was obvious it was going to be a head-on collision. " It was quite an extraordinary feeling to see that car heading straight for us. When we got out my first reaction was that it was absolutely unbelievable that we were all still alive."
"I just hope the American who is critical recovers because it would be a terrible thing if someone died," he added.
"I would like to make one thing absolutely clear - my drivers are Garda drivers. They drive with due care and attention," he said.
"I never give drivers instructions to speed. It would be wrong of me to try to instruct the driver because . . . the drivers are not the employees of the minister, but the employee of An Garda Siochána. It would be totally wrong for any civilian to start instructing him to drive fast," he said.
"The driver . . . in this case was driving with due care and attention. There's no doubt about that.
"He's a highly skillful driver and I can honestly say this morning if it hadn't been for his skill, both before and after, I'm not sure that I'd be here to talk to you this morning," Mr Ó Cuív said.
Fire service personnel had to use cutting equipment to remove the roof of the rented Opel in order to free one of the two passengers. The Minister's black Volvo was badly burnt after bursting into flames. There was a gun in the back of the Minister's car that belonged to the Garda driver.
Asked if his driver was speeding at the time of the accident, the Minister insisted he did not tell his driver how to drive and would not interfere in his work.