Posted online: Feb 18th, 2010

Letterkenny was left reeling following the tragedy that resulted in the death of a three-year-old boy in the Ballymacool area of town on Tuesday.
Patrick McDonagh died after he was hit by a truck while playing outside his home in the Ballymacool estate. The toddler is believed to have been playing with his twin sister in a cul-de-sac outside his home when he was struck by a bin lorry at around11.40am.
Patrick suffered head injuries in the collision and attempts to resuscitate the young child at the scene were unsuccessful. An ambulance was called and he was rushed to Letterkenny General Hospital. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
His funeral will take place in St. Eunan’s Cathedral at 10 o’clock tomorrow (Friday) with the burial taking place in Roscommon. The tragic event has left the local community in shock.
Fr Eamon Kelly, administrator at the nearby St Eunan’s Cathedral, said the loss was “heart-breaking for the family and the whole community.”
The toddler was the only son of Shirley and Patrick, members of the Travelling community who had previously lived in England but who had moved to Letterkenny in the last year.
Shocked neighbours in the Ballymacool Estate also expressed sympathy towards the driver of the refuse lorry involved in the freak accident.