‘Asthma attack’ death of teen leaves community in shock
A COMMUNITY is in mourning after a teenager was found dead in bed at his home following a suspected asthma attack.
Darragh O’Connell, 18, was discovered by his devastated father Adrian at the family home in Rosbrien, on the outskirts of Limerick city, on Saturday.
His death came just one day after a 12year-old boy died at his Dublin home after suffering from what was also believed to have been an asthma attack. Talented soccer player Kyle Finnegan from Tallaght, passed away on Friday, leaving friends and family shell-shocked and ‘broken to pieces’.
Yesterday, Darragh O’Connell’s principal at Coláiste Chiaráin in Croom, Co. Limerick, Gerard O’Sullivan, said the whole school community is ‘deeply saddened’ by the news of his death. Distraught pupils at the school are being offered psychological counselling.
‘This is a terrible tragedy for the O’Connell family and for our school community,’ acting principal Mr O’Sullivan wrote in a letter to parents.
‘Darragh was an excellent student who enjoyed the company and support of a great group of friends.’
The principal met Darragh’s parents Adrian and Yvonne in the wake of the tragedy on Saturday. ‘Our priority for this week is to support all of our students as they try and make sense of this,’ Mr O’Sullivan added. ‘We will be making every effort to support his friends, and of course, he’s a sixth year student, so we will be putting in extra support to ensure a year group which has exam pressures to contend with is backed.’
Tributes to the youngster – a keen soccer player – poured in on social media.
One parent wrote: ‘We had the pleasure of having him at our house many of a time with the boys. What a lovely young fella. Condolences to all Darragh’s family and friend.’
Independent councillor Richard O’Donoghue, who represents the area of Croom on the local council, said: ‘It’s just such a tragedy. For a young boy to lose his life like that, it just defies belief.’
Darragh will be laid to rest at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in the Childers Road, at 11am tomorrow.