BREAKING: Man arrested in connection with death of boy and his grandaunt in Offaly
Tadgh Farrell and his grandaunt Mary Holt (60) were killed in an arson attack in December
A man in his 20s has been arrested in connection with the murder of four-year-old Tadgh Farrell and his grandaunt Mary Holt, 60, following an arson attack in Edenderry, county Offaly, in December.
Little Tadgh and his grand-aunt Mary Holt died when the house they were occupants of in Castleview Park, Edenderry, was attacked with a petrol bomb and engulfed in flames on December 6, 2025.
The attack caused widespread shock and an outpouring of sadness in Edenderry and across the country. A number of searches took place at houses in Offaly and Kildare in the days following the attack
In a statement on Wednesday, Gardaí said, "An Garda Síochána continues to investigate all the circumstances of a fatal house fire that occurred at a domestic residence in Castleview Park, Edenderry, Co. Offaly on the evening of Saturday 6 December, 2025. As part of this investigation, a man in his late 20s was arrested this morning, January 14, 2026.
"He is currently detained on suspicion of murder under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a Garda station in the Midlands. Investigations are ongoing."