TWO MEN killed in a single-car crash in Co Limerick were travelling in a stolen BMW car.
An imitation firearm was also recovered at the scene of the crash in which a third man was seriously injured last Tuesday night.
Eric Fitzgerald (23) from Cloughnadrommin, Ballysimon, Co Limerick, and Cornelius Fitzharris (28) from Dublin were killed instantly when the car in which they were travelling hit a tree shortly before 9.30pm on the N21 halfway between Rathkeale and Croagh in Co Limerick.
A third man, Andrew Nolan (30), from John Carew Park, Southill, Limerick, suffered serious head injuries in the crash and was taken to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital where his condition was described as stable last night.
Detectives are still trying to discover what the men were doing in the area. A number of items including balaclavas were recovered from the crashed vehicle.
It is understood that the high-performance car was stolen from an address in Limerick in recent days. The replica firearm has been sent for forensic analysis.
Shortly before the fatal collision a garda travelling in the area observed the car and turned to follow it.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission was informed of the crash and a spokesman confirmed last night that commission investigators were in west Limerick yesterday conducting an investigation.
Witnesses to the crash have already come forward, but local gardaí are also asking anyone with information to contact Askeaton Garda station on 061-601630.
It is understood the three men were en route back to Limerick city when the incident occurred.
One of the dead men, Mr Fitzgerald, was a cousin of 24-year-old Daniel Fitzgerald who was shot dead near a house at Coughnadromin, Ballysimon, Co Limerick, on December 8th, 2009. A 19-year-old man is in custody charged with the murder.