Mother and son die in Cavan house fire
- Published
A mother, aged in her 80s, and her son, aged in his 50s, have died following a house fire in County Cavan.
They have been named as Kathleen and Michael Lynch, Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports.
Emergency services were called to the scene of the blaze, which broke out at a property in Ballyjamesduff shortly before 02:00 local time.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
A garda (Irish police) spokesperson said post-mortems were due to take place at Cavan General Hospital.
The scene of the fire is currently sealed off for a technical examination.
The coroner has been notified, Gardaí said.
'A terrible tragedy'
Local councillor and family friend Trevor Smith witnessed the scene shortly before the emergency services arrived.
"I would have seen the house ablaze and followed into town to see that the fire brigade was heading out to attend the scene at Lackenmore," Mr Smith told RTÉ.
"A terrible tragedy happened in our local community."
Mr Smith said the community council had erected tents close to the house, with tea and coffee provided to support family members who have attended the scene.
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Writing on social media, Castlerahan GAA club described the family as one "steeped in our club and community."
A minute's silence was observed during the club's games on Sunday.