Mayor pays tribute to a 'gentle soul and great character' who died in a Tipperary house fire

There is a sense of profound shock in Clonmel  following the death in a house fire of a well-known hairdresser Dessie Carroll. The Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Pat English, has paid tribute to the deceased man, who was a popular figure around Clonmel.

The fatal house fire, which claimed the life of a man in his seventies, took place on Sunday evening at Carrigeen, Clonmel.

READ MORE: Much-loved hairdresser named as victim in Tipperary fatal house fire

The man has been named locally as Dessie Carroll, and he was well known in Cahir and Clonmel, where he worked as a hairdresser. 

"People will be devastated. Everybody liked Dessie. All of the neighbours loved him. He loved his dogs, he had three Jack Russells, and I think they all died in the fire as well," said local man Barry O'Flynn.

Parishioners attending Mass in the nearby Church of the Resurrection on Monday morning were shocked to hear of the passing of the local man.

"Dessie was well-liked in the area. He was such a character. His dogs were his life and they kept him going. He used to live in Cahir and he had his own hairdressing place in Clonmel, and we all used to go to him," said Gina Hampsire, sacristan at the Church of  Resurrection.

Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a fire at a residence in Carrigeen at approximately 6pm on Sunday.

A male, aged in his 70s, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

No other injuries were reported.