Two brothers in their 80s have died following a house fire near Easkey, Co Sligo.
The two men have been named as brothers Pa and Seamus Cuffe.
The men lived together in the family home in Rathlee, between Easkey and Enniscrone.
Watch: Locals pay tribute following death of brothers Pa and Seamus Cuffe in Co Sligo
At around 11am, gardaí and emergency services were alerted to the fire that occurred overnight.
The two men were pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
The bodies of Pa and Seamus Cuffe were removed from the scene tonight and taken to Sligo University Hospital where post-mortem examinations will take place.
Gardaí said the outcome of the post-mortem examinations will determine the course of their investigation.
The scene has been preserved for a technical examination.
Two brothers in their 80's found dead in their home following an overnight blaze in Rathlee near Easkey in west Sligo. Technical examination continuing @rtenews pic.twitter.com/YiAQWW7hEJ
— Teresa Mannion (@TeresaMannion) December 28, 2025
Since news of the men's deaths spread earlier this evening, local people gathered near the Cuffe property and consoled each other. Several nieces and nephews huddled together, dazed and numb.
One neighbour, Daniel, told RTÉ News: "Everyone is devastated. We can't understand how it could happen to two people who were so kind.
"Very, very good neighbours, very nice people. Gentlemen.
"We met them on the road every day since I was a child. We're all gutted."
Another neighbour, Michelle Curley, was still trying to process the news.
"These were two very quiet gentlemen. I know them since I was a small child. I'm just two houses down the road and me and my sister were always in and out to see them. And they were great fun, had a great sense of humour.
"Pa loved his car. He was always out and about, and you can meet him anywhere, but he always had a word for you. But it's terribly sad for the whole area, because there were two gentlemen and they will be greatly missed. They had a great connection of friends around here, and they were always looked after, you know, and thought very highly of," she said.
Bernie Coggins said he grew up with the brothers.
"They use [to] go to the mart every week, every Tuesday. They were in good health and Seamus just had his cataracts done a few months ago. It's awful sad. They were a big part of our local community," he added.
