Community in shock after drowning of toddler, 2

A Waterford county councillor has said the community of Boatstrand is devastated by the drowning of a two-year-old boy in the area.

The boy has been named as William O’Reilly, the youngest son of Jimmy and Helen O’Reilly, who are members of the Traveller community in Waterford City.

The child was accompanying his father to the beach, where he and a number of relatives were exercising horses.

It is believed that William entered the water unseen and his body was later discovered by a local fisherman.

Attempts to resuscitate the boy were made by a nurse present at the scene, and by another local woman.

Gardaí were already patrolling the area and arrived within minutes.

The boy was rushed to Waterford Regional Hospital but he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Co Waterford’s deputy mayor Lola O’Sullivan is also chairperson of Irish Water Safety in the county.

She said the community was devastated by the tragedy.

“The whole community is in shock; it is soul-destroying. I’d like to extend my deepest sympathies to the family, as well as acknowledging the people who tried everything they could to save the little boy,” she said.

“This has had a knock-on effect on so many families in the community.

“Boatstrand is a popular place and a number of families were present and witnessed this tragedy, and there’s no taking children away from this kind of situation.”

How long the boy was in the water is currently not clear, but locals believe he may have been submerged for at least five minutes.