Ballymoney: Prayers to be offered following Noah McAleese's death

Prayers will be offered to the family of two-year-old Noah McAleese’s family in a “very special way”, a parish priest has said.

The toddler died after being hit by a tractor at Rosepark Farm near Ballymoney on Friday afternoon.

“There are no words, it’s an unspeakable tragedy,” Father Darren Brennan said.

He also said the community had been left traumatised by the incident, which happened on Friday afternoon.

The NI Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 12:32 GMT and paramedics were sent to the farm.

The boy was taken to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, County Londonderry.

“The McAleese family are held in very high regard in the entire community, they are a wonderful family and all I can say is that they are coping as well as they can with their grief,” Fr Brennan said.

“Well, how does anybody cope with a tragedy of this scale? All they can do is rely on each other, on the community, on their faith and that’s all you really have.”

The priest said he believed the whole community would be affected by the death.

He said prayers would be offered to the McAleese and Cassidy families during Mass on Sunday.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said it was working with police and the Health and Safety Executive following the incident.

Noah’s father is a former player at Dunloy Cuchullain’s GAA club. The club held a minute’s silence before a game against Dungloe on Saturday.

A statement posted online from the club said: “Everyone at Dunloy GA+CC was deeply saddened to hear the tragic news yesterday of the sudden passing of Noah McAleese.

“Noah is the son of our former player Johnny and his wife Corrina. We offer our thoughts and prayers to the entire McAleese and Cassidy family circles at this very sad time.”