The body of a man in his 60s has been recovered following a house fire at Glenflesk in Co Kerry.
He has been named locally as Johnny O'Brien. Known as "The Rock", Mr O'Brien was a sheep farmer and local character.
He was known to many people who travelled the Cork to Killarney road regularly.
The fire occurred just after midnight and the alarm was raised when a passing motorist saw flames coming from the two-storey house, around 10km from Killarney.
Four units of the fire service spent two hours fighting the blaze, which caused extensive structural damage to the detached house.
Firefighters discovered the Mr O'Brien's body inside the house. It is believed he was the only person in the house at the time.
Gardaí are conducting a technical examination of the scene.
A post-mortem examination will take place later, which will direct the further course of any investigation.
