Four hundred pupils of a midlands school should be returning to school today after the Christmas holidays - but instead will be paying their last respects to one of the school's leading sports stars killed in a weekend accident.
Teachers and pupils of Mercy Secondary School were numbed by the death of Stephen Kelly (16), Cumminstown, Kilbeggan, when a disused sandpit collapsed on him while playing near his home on Friday evening.
He was with his close friend and schoolmate Seán Bagnall when the accident occurred, prompting a desperate four-hour rescue operation in driving rain by over 50 people.
The death has shocked the entire Kilbeggan region, where Stephen and his family were extremely well-known as outstanding sportspeople.
Fifth-year pupil Stephen was a member of the Westmeath U16 football team last season and just before Christmas played with the school in the North Leinster Senior C semi-final.
"Stephen was in the same year as me in school. He was a very popular fellow. I never heard anyone say a bad word about him, and I'm not just saying that," said Paul Robinson.
"We played football together and he was well-liked by everybody. It is a small school of just 400 pupils, and everyone knows everyone else. It has shocked everybody." Local GAA official Mr Pat Lynagh said Stephen's death had cast a pall of gloom.
Stephen is survived by his father Mick, mother Dolores and sisters Dolores and Louise.