Student killed in work accident

TRIBUTES have been paid to 19-year-old Olan Kierse from Innishmore Lawn, Ballincollig, who was killed in a work accident in Lissarda on Tuesday morning. 

The former student of Ballincollig Community School was working at the Eirebloc factory at Dunisky, Lissarda, where it is understood a girder fell and fatally injured him at around 11am that morning. Emergency services were quickly on the scene, but Olan was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was removed to Cork University Hospital where a post-mortem was to take place. 

Both Gardaí and the Health and Safety Authority are investigating the workplace accident. Olan was studying at Limerick Institute of Technology and it was believed he was working part-time at the factory.

He is survived by his parents, Dympna and Colm and sister Gráinne and his two brothers, Culann and Fionn.

Cllr Derry Canty from Ballincollig said the whole place is devastated at the tragic death of Olan: ‘I know the family very well and it’s so sad as Olan was just starting out in life. Everyone had something nice to say about him and there are glowing tributes on Facebook to him. I really feel sorry for his young friends too who will have to cope with the death of a friend.’

Friends of Olan took to social media to pay tribute to him, with one person writing on Facebook that:‘Today I lost a very good friend of mine.’ Another friend described Olan as ‘someone who always put a smile on my face and made me cry with laughter. You were the life and soul of the party and a true gentleman.’

This is the second tragedy that has struck the Kierse family, as Olan’s uncle Dabhog was killed in a road traffic accident in Ballyvourney in 2009.

Olan will be buried privately on Friday following mass at 12 noon at the Church of Christ Our Light, Ballincollig.