Foul play ruled out in Co Limerick fire death

Gardai have confirmed that a fire which claimed the life of a 77-year-old bachelor farmer near the Cork-Limerick border earlier this week started accidentally.

Officers believe the fire which claimed the life of Ned Hyland who lived alone at Castlequarter, Kilbehenny, Co Limerick may have started near a stove in a downstairs room.

Mr Hyland, who retired from farming some years ago, was found dead in an upstairs bedroom by firefighters after they extinguished the blaze at the isolated farmhouse.

The alarm was raised at around 10.30pm on Tuesday night and fire brigade units from Kilmallock, Co Limerick and Mitchelstown and Fermoy in Co Cork responded.

However, the fire was well underway when firefighters arrived and it took some time before they were able to bring it under control and retrieve Mr Hyland.

Mr Hyland was pronounced dead at the scene by a GP from Southdoc at 11.50pm and his body was removed to Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick for a postmortem.

Gardai cordoned off the badly damaged farmhouse over night and a Garda technical expert carried out a forensic examination today to try and establish the cause of the blaze.

A garda spokesman confirmed they were satisfied that there was nothing suspicious about the fire and that they were treating Mr Hyland’s death as a tragic accident.

Gardai from Mitchelstown will prepare a file on Mr Hyland’s death for an inquest to be held at Limerick County Coroner’s Court later this year.

Local Fianna Fail Cllr Eddie Ryan from Kilmallock knew Mr Hyland and, speaking on Limerick’s 95 Live FM, described him as “a popular member of the community”.

“He had been a very good farmer in his day, very active, very modern and he was a great member of the community there and loved by all around him,” said Cllr Ryan

“He had contacts in Galbally and Kilbehenny and surrounding areas so he had lots of family connections - he will be sadly missed by the community and the people who knew him well.

“He was a great character and a lively and bright gentlemen so he will indeed be missed by all the community around here,” said Cllr Ryan.