Boy dies in quad bike crash on day of first confession

An eight-year-old schoolboy had made his first confession only hours before sustaining fatal injuries in a quad bike accident.

Co Clare boy Ultan Hayes died at Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Dublin, yesterday of injuries he suffered on Thursday. He had been a passenger on the quad bike which crashed into a wall.

The boy’s father, Brian Hayes, only bought the quad bike recently days. They were only a short distance from the family home on a local road at Whitegate in east Clare at 9.10pm on Thursday when the accident occurred.

The father of four, who is in his 40s, sustained non-life threatening injuries, while Ultan was seriously injured. He was removed to University Hospital Limerick. Yesterday he was transferred to Temple Street Children’s Hospital but doctors were unable to save him.

Ultan was due to celebrate his First Communion next month with seven classmates in Mountshannon NS and only made his first confession on Thursday afternoon — hours before the accident.

The sports-mad member of Whitegate GAA club trained with his U8 hurling team-mates on Thursday evening before joining his father for the short trip on the quad bike.

Mountshannon NS principal Jim Collins yesterday described Ultan as “a lovely little boy who is very popular with all of his classmates”.

He said Ultan “had a very strong outgoing personality and was very sporting”. Ultan won a medal represented the school in cross-country running in September.

Mr Collins said the school and the wider community was “in shock”.

He said: “There is a very strong sense of community here and people have rallied around with parents arriving at the school today offering to give any help they can.”

Mr Collins also confirmed that a psychologist from the National Educational Psychological Service yesterday attended at the school to advise staff members and adults on how to best help children deal with the news concerning the accident.

Whitegate GAA secretary Tony O’Rourke said yesterday that Ultan was “a talented young hurler and had been training with his team mates on Thursday before watching the seniors hurl”.

Mr O’Rourke said: “People are sick, shocked and dumbfounded today over the news of the accident.”

Family friend and local TD Timmy Dooley said: “What has happened is a huge tragedy for the Hayes family and the community in east Clare. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hayes family.”