Teenager killed in Galway farming tragedy named locally as tributes paid to 'kind and gentle soul'

Tributes have been paid to a teenager who died after a farming accident in Galway on Saturday afternoon.

It is understood the deceased was a passenger on a tractor which was travelling from one part of a farm to another in the Oranmore area when he fell and sustained serious injuries. He has been named locally as Joshua Sullivan, 19, from Moneymore, Oranmore, Galway.

Several units of the emergency services were alerted to the incident and rushed to the scene in Moneymore, from where he was brought to University Hospital Galway. Tragically, the young man was pronounced deceased on arrival at the hospital.

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Joshua was a pupil of the Ábalta school in Galway. Paying tribute, one family friend said: ‘’His vibrant spirit and the love he shared with everyone around him will always be remembered.’’ Another said: ‘’I will forever remember Joshua as a kind and gentle soul who said hello every day, who tread softly on this earth and who brought a little light to those whose lives he touched."

Joshua is predeceased by his mother Jackie. He is survived by his father John, brothers Shane and Jacob, sisters Hannah and Erin. His funeral arrangements will be announced on rip.ie.

In a statement, a Garda spokesperson said: "Gardaí are investigating a fatal road traffic incident near Oranmore, Co. Galway yesterday afternoon, Saturday 2nd November 2024."

"Gardaí were alerted to an incident involving a tractor which occurred on a local road in Rinn, Oranmore at approximately 3.30pm. A male passenger, 19 years old, injured in the incident, was transferred by ambulance personnel to University Hospital Galway, where he was subsequently pronounced deceased. No other injuries were reported. The scene was preserved for a technical examination which has since taken place and the road has reopened."

Mr Sullivan’s death is the second death of a young person in a farming accident in less than three months following the death of Finn McGrath, 10, in Co Monaghan in August. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) recorded 16 farm-related deaths in Ireland in 2023, an increase of four on 2022 figures, with half of those killed on farms last year aged 65 or older.

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