Tributes have been paid to a teenage boy who died in a quad bike crash in Co Laois over the weekend.
The incident happened in a wooded area near Ballyshanduff, Ballybrittas at around 1.30pm yesterday.
The 15-year-old boy was taken to the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise, where he has since died.
A second boy was taken to the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore, Co Offaly to be treated for what are understood to be non-life threatening injuries.
Gardaí have said investigations are ongoing and have appealed for any witnesses to contact them.
The victim has been named locally as David Brown from the Dublin Road area of Portlaoise, who was an underage GAA player with Portlaoise GAA and had also represented Laois county sides.
Portlaoise GAA paid tribute to David, saying they were "heartbroken beyond words" and described him as "one of our very best and brightest" who was a "hero" to the club's younger members.
They also described him as "vibrant, fearless, skillful, determined, proud - a shining star on every team he played for. Brilliant attitude and manners, always respectful to his coaches and his teammates, always willing to listen and to learn."
A Laois GAA statement said: "Laois GAA is heartbroken at the sad and tragic passing of one of our brightest young stars, David Brown.
"The talented Portlaoise club player was an inspiration for his club in both football and hurling, that saw him advance to Laois GAA talent academies at an early age.
"This weekend David was a member of the Laois Minor Hurling panel that defeated Antrim on Friday, and then on Saturday last as a playing member of the Laois Celtic Challange team that defeated Kildare.
"Laois GAA extend our deepest sympathies to David's parents James and Carmel, his brother Conor and sister Sarah together with his wider family, friends and teammates."
Chairperson of Laois GAA, PJ Kelly, has confirmed that "our critical incident response protocol has been initiated under the support and guidance of Dr Eddie Murphy.
"This is currently available to all relevant teams and individuals in Laois GAA as necessary," Mr Kelly said.
St Mary's CBS in Portlaoise, where David was a third year student, also paid tribute to a "much loved, charming and vibrant" young man.
"David was a promising student who was diligent in our classrooms, brightened our corridors and excelled in representing our school teams," the school said in a statement.
