Fifth Arrest Made in Fatal Offaly House Fire That Claimed Lives of Woman and Child

A man in his 20s has been arrested in connection with the fatal house fire in County Offaly that claimed the lives of a woman and a young child, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to five this week.

The incident occurred on December 6 at Castleview Park in Edenderry, where four-year-old Tadhg Farrell and his great-aunt Mary Holt lost their lives. The child’s grandmother also sustained serious burn injuries in the attack.

According to An Garda Síochána, the latest arrest was made on Wednesday evening. Earlier in the week, authorities had detained three men—two in their 20s and one in their 30s—followed by the arrest of a teenage boy later the same day.

All five individuals are currently being held at garda stations across the eastern and midlands regions under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007. Under this provision, suspects may be detained for up to 48 hours, with further extensions—subject to authorisation—allowing detention for up to seven days in total.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed that investigations remain ongoing.

As part of the inquiry, investigators had previously released CCTV footage of the attack. The footage reportedly shows two hooded individuals smashing a window before igniting an object and throwing it into the residence.

The incident, which occurred shortly before 7:45 pm, drew widespread public and political attention. The young boy had been visiting his grandmother and great-aunt at the time of the attack. In the aftermath, local residents held a vigil to honour the victims, underscoring the deep impact of the tragedy on the community.