A young sheep farmer and father of five children has tragically died after being struck by debris while felling trees in Co. Donegal on Friday night (January 11).

According to a local county councillor, Kevin McElhinney was from Carndonagh, on the Inishowen peninsula, which is where the incident took place.

Kevin is survived by his partner and his five children.

According to Sinn Fein county councillor Albert Doherty, Kevin’s parents had both recently died, and he “was making a valiant effort to put things right on the farm”.

The local Inishowen Agricultural Show paid tribute to Kevin on social media, saying: “On behalf of the committee of the Inishowen Agricultural Show, we would like to express our sincerest condolences to the family of the late Kevin McElhinney.

Kevin was a gentleman and friend to many. Another young farmer tragically taken too soon.

“Our thoughts are with his partner and his five children, his sisters and brother, and his extended family and friends,” added the Inishowen Agricultural Show.

The show concluded by saying: “Kevin, you will be sorely missed by everyone who knew you.”

This is the second farm-related death in the country in less than a week.

On Wednesday, January 9, a man in Ballindine, Co. Mayo was killed after he was hit by part of a shed that was being demolished.

That tragedy came just after the Health and Safety Authority released figures on work-place fatalities in 2018, which showed that, while farm deaths had decreased from 2017, they still made up 41% of all deaths in the work place for the year.