'Some lives, like the cherry blossom, shine with a beauty beyond their years' - tribute for firebomb victim Tadgh Farrell

""He was only four.""

"The writing on the single white balloon among the long stretch of flowers, candles and teddy bears laid along the garden wall said all that needed to be said about the death of Tadgh Farrell."

"Behind that wall in Castleview Park in Edenderry, Co Offaly, the house where Tadgh died with his grand-aunt Mary Holt last Saturday stood scorched from the flames of the petrol bomb that was thrown through the living room window."

Family members delivered emotional recollections at the funeral of four-year-old Tadgh Farrell, who died alongside his grand-aunt Mary Holt. Mourners left flowers, candles and teddy bears along the garden wall at Castleview Park in Edenderry, Co Offaly. A single white balloon bore the words "He was only four." The house behind the wall remained scorched after a petrol bomb was thrown through the living room window. The blaze killed both occupants and left the community grieving. The scene combined personal loss, visible tributes, and the physical remnants of a fatal arson attack.

Read at Irish Independent