A 14-YEAR-old boy who died after he got into difficulty in the water in Co Cork yesterday afternoon has been named locally.

The youth was swimming with his friends when he got into difficulty. Gardaí said the alarm was raised at Passage West in Co Cork at around 2pm.

A major search was launched with gardaí, the coast guard, Irish Naval Service and local fire and ambulance service personnel working together. A Garda spokesperson said a body was recovered from the water at approximately 4pm.

The teenager has been named locally as Jack O’Sullivan from Deerpark in Cork City. Locals said Jack was ‘’a great character who would light up any room’’.

Jack played hurling and football with St Finbarr’s GAA club in Cork city and had been due to start in second year at Coláiste Éamann Rís next week.

Paying tribute, Jack’s cousin Sinead wrote on social media: “Heartbreaking news tonight thinking of my cousin Kevin and Evonne and all the rest of the family on the news of their son Jack may God give them the strength to get through this terrible time so sad’”.

Local Fianna Fáil councillor Seamus McGrath said the community in Passage West is devastated by the tragedy.

“This is a truly awful tragic incident,” he said. “My thoughts are with the boy’s family and friends. The entire local community is deeply saddened with this dreadful news.”

In a statement following the incident, a Garda spokesperson said that, shortly after 2pm, Gardaí and other emergency services “received reports of a male youth in his teens who had gotten into difficulty in the water at Passage West”.

“Following an extensive search by Gardaí, the Coast Guard, the Irish Naval Service and local fire service and ambulance units, a body was recovered from the water at approximately 4pm.”