Village in shock as popular man dies in house fire

THE village of Blennerville, outside Tralee, is in a state of shock following the death of a popular local man in a house fire.

Jimmy Duffy, 67, and single, died on Saturday in a fire at his home in Church Road.

Neighbours raised the alarm after seeing smoke coming from the house, where he lived alone, at around midday on Saturday.

Three units of Tralee Fire Brigade were called out to fight the blaze.

Mr Duffy was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor and his body was removed to Kerry General Hospital, Tralee, for a postmortem examination.

“Everyone is saddened by Jimmy’s tragic death. He was a character around here and well liked by everybody,” said a local man.

“Jimmy was a familiar figure in the area and was always out cycling his bicycle. He also took a great interest in sport and was regularly seen in the local GAA field.

“He’ll be missed.”

Some months ago, Mr Duffy turned up on his bike at the start of the annual Lacey Cycle Race, in Blennerville, and played a tune on his tin whistle for the participating cyclists and spectators.