A MAN WHO was arrested in connection with the hit and run incident that claimed the life of 21-year-old student journalist Joe Drennan in Limerick has been released without charge. 

A garda spokesperson said that investigations into the incident which occured on 13 October are ongoing, and that following the release of the man in his late teens, a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. 

Joe Drennan of Knocknagad, Mountrath, Co Laois, was standing at a bus stop on the Dublin Road in Castleroy, Limerick, when a car that had been involved in a collision with another car, as well an an alleged interaction with Gardaí earlier that night, struck him and killed him.

The circumstances surrounding the fatal collision have been referred to the office of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), as this is required when gardaí have interacted with persons involved in an incident in which there has been a loss of life.

The driver of the second car involved in the initial collision, a man in his 40s, and a female adult passenger were taken to University hospital Limerick for treatment of their injuries.  

Gardaí had appealed for witnesses to come forward at the time because one of the drivers involved in the crash fled the scene. Today, gardaí arrested a man in his late teens in connection with the incident.

“Gardaí have today arrested a man in relation to the fatal road traffic collision on the Dublin Road in Castletroy, Co. Limerick, which resulted in the death of a man in his 20s,” a garda spokesperson said in a statement.

At the time of his death, Joe Drennan’s family, classmates and tutors paid tribute to the promising young journalist.

Dr Kathryn Hayes, Course Director, BA Journalism and Digital Communication, University of Limerick said Joe had been “an inspirational student and a hugely talented young journalist, who had a bright career ahead”.