Man who died in Cork housefire just before Christmas to be buried tomorrow

The burnt-out house in Waterpark, Carrigaline, where Sean Lynch, 86, died on Friday night. Picture: Dan Linehan

One of the two elderly men who died in separate housefires over Christmas will be buried tomorrow.

Funeral details for Sean Lynch, 86, have been confirmed following last Friday’s tragedy in Carrigaline, Co. Cork.

Mr Lynch died after a fire ripped through his semi-detached house in The Court area of the town’s Waterpark estate, where he lived with his son.

Sean Lynch, who used to work in Dunlops, was predeceased by his wife, Noirin, and his brothers, Joe and Kevin, and is survived by his son, David.

Neighbours raised the alarm just after 9pm and four units of the fire brigade, from Carrigaline, Crosshaven, and two units from the city, rushed to the scene along with local gardaí. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to the adjoining house but the house was gutted.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus then conducted a detailed search of the badly damaged house and recovered Mr Lynch’s body from the property in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Lynch, who used to work in Dunlops, was predeceased by his wife, Noirin, and his brothers, Joe and Kevin, and is survived by his son, David.

His remains will lie in repose at Forde’s Funeral Home, Old Waterpark, Carrigaline, from 3pm to 4pm on Wednesday with Requiem Mass on Thursday at the Church of Our Lady and St John in Carrigaline at 2.15pm followed by cremation at The Island Crematorium.

While garda investigations into the cause of the blaze are ongoing, it is not being treated as suspicious.

A housefire in the early hours of St Stephen’s morning claimed the life of Johnny ‘The Rock’ O’Brien. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

Meanwhile, investigations are also continuing into the second fatal house fire which claimed the life of Johnny ‘The Rock’ O’Brien, who was in his 60s, at his home at Glenflesk, on the main Cork to Killarney road, in the early hours of St Stephen’s morning.

The alarm was raised by a passing motorist who spotted flames coming from the two-storey house, around 10km from Killarney, just after midnight.

Four units of the fire service spent two hours fighting the blaze, which caused extensive structural damage to the detached house.

Firefighters discovered Mr O'Brien's body inside the house. 

His funeral details have yet to be announced.