Hundreds of “distraught” Edenderry locals turned out for a vigil walk in memory of Tadhg Farrell and Mary Holt.
The pair died in a house fire in Castleview Park on Saturday, which Gardaí described as a “reckless, callous and murderous attack on a family home”.
Tadhg was only four years old and Ms Holt, his great aunt, was 60. Tadhg’s grandmother was also taken to hospital, where she has been treated for serious injuries.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Chief Reporter Barry Whyte said he found the Offaly town reeling from the sudden loss of two much loved members of the community.
“There's certainly still a sense of shock in the town, people are still grieving,” he said.
“There was also a lot of anger that this happened to two innocent people, two innocent people who lost their lives in such a violent way.
“Well, there is also a sense of fear, people are afraid that something like this may happen again and I think there is a sense that if a four-year-old boy can be killed like this, then anyone in Edenderry could be.”
Mourners in Edenderry. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell / RollingNews.ie.One local , Pat MacBride, said he never thought that “this could happen in a little town like Edenderry.
“You see these things happening in Mexico, all these places thousands of miles away, you never see it happening in a country town like Edenderry,” he explained.
“So it is, people are distraught, people are fearful, people are very sad.”
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Mr MacBride, who grew up close to the house, arrived minutes after the fire and recalled that what he saw was “haunting to say the least”.
“One of the neighbours rang, we were up there within five minutes, we just got there before the fire brigade came,” he said.
“All those houses are terraced houses and they all could have caught fire, it could have been, if that happened later in the night, God knows what could have happened.
“And it was the grace of God, my older sister who lives there alone, she was at Mass, if she'd been in that house, I don't know what could have happened.”
Mounrers in Edendery. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell / RollingNews.ie.Another local at the vigil was Tony Loughlin, who said it was his duty as a grandfather to turn out.
“Well, we've all kids you know - I've a grandchild, they're three years of age and why wouldn't [you] turn out tonight?” he said.
“If it was my grandchild I'd be expecting somebody here to help me out as well.
“To stand up for what's right and get all these off the streets.”
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has promised that Gardaí would “relentlessly pursue” those who set the fire.
Main image: Mourners gather in Edenderry, County Offaly. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell / RollingNews.ie.
