TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN paid to a teenager who died after a single-vehicle collision in Co Down yesterday.

Órán McConville was a front seat passenger in a car which crashed near Hilltown, Co Down at around 2am yesterday morning.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

An 18-year-old driver of the car was arrested following the crash, police have said.

Orán McConville was from the Rathfriland area, close to the scene of the collision.

Local GAA club Drumgath GAC, of which he was a member, led tributes to the teenager in a post online.

“Órán was so much more than a young man – he was a bright light in our community,” the club said in a statement.

“Whether it was on the football pitch or in the heart of the community, Órán carried himself with warmth, respect, and quiet charm.”

The club added that Órán’s contribution to Drumgath GAC on the field was “nothing short of outstanding”.

St. Mark’s High School Warrenpoint, which Órán attended, also paid tribute, saying that he had only finished school in August after completing his A-Levels.

“Órán was quite simply a gentleman who will be sorely missed,” the school said.

Órán also worked with a group providing sports coaching to schools in the area, FunFit Sports, who said in a post online that it was “an absolute honour to have you as part of the team”.

Sinn Féin MP for South Down Chris Hazzard described his death as “utterly tragic”, adding that “no words could ever begin to express the heartache”.

Investigations are continuing into the fatal crash.