BREAKING: Man in his 20s arrested in connection with death of boy (4) and his grandaunt in Offaly

A man in his 20s has been arrested in connection with the murder of four-year-old Tadgh Farrell and his grandaunt Mary Holt, 60, following an arson attack in Edenderry, county Offaly, in December.

Little Tadgh and his grand-aunt Mary Holt died when the house they were occupants of in Castleview Park, Edenderry, was attacked with a petrol bomb and engulfed in flames on December 6, 2025.

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The attack caused widespread shock and an outpouring of sadness in Edenderry and across the country. A number of searches took place at houses in Offaly and Kildare in the days following the attack

In a statement on Wednesday, Gardaí said,

"An Garda Síochána continues to investigate all the circumstances of a fatal house fire that occurred at a domestic residence in Castleview Park, Edenderry, Co. Offaly on the evening of Saturday 6 December, 2025.

"As part of this investigation, a man in his late 20s was arrested this morning, January 14, 2026.

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"He is currently detained on suspicion of murder under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a Garda station in the midlands.

"Investigations are ongoing."