Man in his 60s dies in a quad bike accident on family farm

A MAN in his 60s has died after his quad bike overturned while he was spreading weed killer on his farm near the village of Ballyheane in Co. Mayo.

The victim, named locally as Anthony O’Malley, 67, was discovered by his wife, Katie, who became alarmed after he had failed to come in for their evening meal.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne of Mayo County Council paid tribute to the popular farmer who had retired from the municipal body’s outdoor staff just two years ago.

‘Tony was a great craftsman,’ said Kilcoyne. ‘He was well-known in Castlebar for his work over the years, both with Castlebar Town Council and subsequently Mayo County Council.’

A post-mortem examination was due to take place yesterday at Mayo University Hospital.

Both An Garda Síochána and the Health and Safety Authority have begun an investigation.

Mr O’Malley is survived by wife Katie and their son Kevin,

His death follows that of his son Tony Jr in August last year.

The tragedy is the country’s second farm fatality this week.

On Tuesday, Martin Kehoe Jr, son of champion ploughman Martin Kehoe, died in an agricultural accident involving a molasses tank in Co. Wexford.

The death of Mr Kehoe Jr, who won the national under-28 conventional ploughing title himself in 2006, cast a cloud over the National Ploughing Championships in Co. Offaly this week.