A 10-year-old boy collapsed and died during a gaelic football training session in Tyrone last night.
The dead boy was named today as Patrick Breen of Dregish, Co Tyrone.
He was training with the Michael Cusacks under-13 team when he fell on the pitch at Drumquin, Co Tyrone last night.
First aid was administered but he was declared dead in the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen a short time later.
He lived at Dregish and was a pupil at the tiny Envagh Primary School where classmates were trying to come to terms with his loss.
Principle Orla Duffy said: "We are all in total shock, we are a small school with only 25 pupils. We are like a family and everyone is devastated.
"I have been Patrick's teacher for the last three years. He was so popular with everybody and loved by everybody. "He was mad about football, he lived for his football and played for the school team."
Ms Duffy broke the news of Patrick's death to his schoolmates when they arrived for class this morning. "Some of the children had already heard, but not all. We had a little assembly and I told them and then we went over to the church for Mass."
She said she had decided not to close the school. "We felt it would be a comfort for the children to be together at this terrible time."
Parish Priest, Father Colum O'Doherty said the family and the entire community were in shock. "Patrick was the second youngest of six, five boys and one girl. The whole family is in shock, words cannot express what they are going through. "I have visited the family and they are in a very, very bad state.
"They are a large family group, with lots of uncles, aunts and cousins and they are all together at this terrible time."
There were about a dozen boys on the pitch when Patrick collapsed. A doctor was on the scene within minutes to offer first aid and the club defibrillator was used before he was taken away by ambulance.
Pat Darcy, chairman of Tyrone County GAA, said: "There were about 12 or 13 boys taking part in a training session when he fell to the ground. There was first aid and resuscitation tried but he did not come around."
He said the life support machine was switched off at 10pm at the Erne Hospital.
A post mortem to establish the cause of the little boy's death will be carried out tomorrow, said police.
The death came hours after a 16-year-old boy dropped dead in school in Co Meath. Tony Parker died at the Moate Community School just before a physical education class.