Prayer service for boy, 3, who died after being pulled from hotel pool
A memorial was set up in the hotel’s reception area yesterday as news filtered through that three-year-old Ronan Kennedy had died at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital in Dublin.
He died less than 24 hours after he was pulled from the swimming pool at the beachside hotel near Youghal.
Guests and staff at the Quality Hotel in Redbarn have been also been offered counselling.
A professional female counsellor, who is a specialist in dealing with trauma, has been brought in by the owners to help any guests and members of staff affected by the tragedy.
Little Ronan, who was from Templederry, near Nenagh, Co Tipperary, was found in the hotel’s swimming pool just before 2pm on Monday.
Two hotel lifeguards pulled the boy out of the water and carried out CPR on him until first responders and an ambulance crew arrived at the hotel, which is 5km east of Youghal.
He had arrived for a holiday the day before with his parents, John and Bridget, and his two brothers.
They were on a three-day break when the tragic accident happened and had planned to return to their Tipperary home today.
A coastguard helicopter rushed the child, who was described as being in a critical condition, to Cork University Hospital (CUH) on Monday evening.
He was accompanied in the helicopter by a local doctor.
He underwent emergency treatment at CUH before being transferred to Temple Street Children’s University Hospital where he died yesterday afternoon. He would have turned four next month.
A spokeswoman for the hotel said that flowers and candles were placed near the hotel’s reception area yesterday in memory of the dead boy.
She said that a special prayer service will be conducted in the hotel at 11am today by Youghal-based curate Fr Pat Corkery.
“The hotel management and staff are very shocked and upset by this event and their thoughts are with the little boy’s family,” the spokeswoman said.
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