A man and a woman have died in separate farm incidents which occurred in counties Donegal and Kilkenny over the weekend.
In Co. Donegal, a man aged in his 70s died on a farm in the area of Letterkenny yesterday morning (Sunday, November 20).
He has been named locally as Eddie Tinney, a widely respected local businessman and farmer.
He was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital, where he sadly later died.
Gardaí are investigating the incident.
A statement from the Gardaí said: “Gardaí are investigating a fatal incident that occurred on a farm near Letterkenny at approximately 11:25a.m [yesterday] morning, Sunday, November 20.
“A man in his late 70s was removed from the scene to Letterkenny University Hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Investigations are ongoing,” the statement added.
Also over the weekend, a woman aged in her 60s died after an accident on her land in the vicinity of Piltown, Co. Kilkenny.
She has been named locally as Mary O’Shea. It is understood that the incident occurred while she was cutting trees, and that she was alone at the time.
A statement from the Gardaí said: “Gardaí were requested for assistance by ambulance services on Saturday, November 19, following reports of an incident in the Piltown area, Co. Kilkenny.”
The statement added: “A woman in her 60s received fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body [was] removed to the mortuary at University Hospital Waterford. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
According to the latest annual figures from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), the farming and forestry sector is still over-represented in workplace fatality figures, accounting for almost a third of workplace deaths across Ireland in 2021.
The HSA’s Annual Review of Workplace Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities 2020-2021, which was published last month, shows that 11 of the 38 work-related fatal incidents in Ireland in 2021 were in the farming and forestry sector.
In 2021, 10 deaths occurred as a result of incidents on farms, while there was one fatality related to forestry.