A Kilkenny farmer has been killed in a farm accident today (Wednesday).
The man, believed to be in his 60s, was killed when his tractor turned over on him in the farm accident and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The man in well known among GAA circles in the county and has been named as Johnny Ryan, father of the All-Ireland winning captain Lester Ryan.
Mr Ryan died on his farm in Clara, near Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny.
Members of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) are investigating the farm accident which is the first in the Republic this year.
It comes just a day after the HSA announced it was cutting the number of farm inspections it would carry out in 2015 by 20%, despite farming having more deaths than any other employment sector in Ireland.
Last year, 30 people were killed in farm accidents, including one on New Year’s Eve night.
This is the first farm death of 2015 in the Republic of Ireland. Yesterday, a man in Co. Armagh died when a roof that he was working on collapsed.
The HSA has said it will work more closely with its Northern Ireland’s Health and Safety Executive and those in the UK to lower the number of farm deaths and farm accident in 2015.
Statistics from the HSA show that young children and older farmers are particularly vulnerable.