THIS is the Irish dad-of-three killed in a horror hit and run in Spain last week.

Martin Long, 40, was killed as he attempted to take a short-cut across a motorway in Alicante and apparently forgot what direction the traffic was coming.

He was visiting the Spanish tourist resort with a number of friends celebrating one of their 40th birthdays.

Martin was crossing the busy dual carriageway in Orihuela Costa, Alicante, close to Mil Palmeras, in the early hours of Friday morning when he was fatally injured in the horrific traffic accident.

The group had left a pub and Martin’s friends were a short distance ahead, using a flyover to cross over the busy road.

A friend said: “Martin jumped over the barrier. It appears he forgot that the traffic comes in the opposite direction to Ireland and he was hit by a fast moving vehicle. He didn’t stand a chance.

“It’s really very sad because he was in two minds about going and made up his mind at the last minute to travel over to celebrate the 40th.

“He had everything going for him, he had qualified as a Quantity Surveyor and had a good job in Cork City.”

Martin, originally from the Mahon area of Cork city, was living in Midleton with his wife Mem and their three children.

The couple married last year and were the proud parents of three children, one aged 14 and two others aged three and one.

They are still awaiting the repatriation of Martin’s body back home to Cork.

According to sources the driver of the car which first hit Martin failed to stop and police were trying to track him down.

They have arrested a man.