Ireland

‘Absolutely heartbreaking’: Couple who died in Mayo fire ran family retail business

Tom and Eileen Mahon ran a well-known local business in Swinford

The scene at the house on the outskirts of Swinford, Co Mayo, where two people died in a fire. Photograph: Conor McKeown
The scene at the house on the outskirts of Swinford, Co Mayo, where two people died in a fire. Photograph: Conor McKeown
Tom Shiel
Tue Mar 26 2024 - 16:20

A retired couple died in a house fire in Swinford, Co Mayo, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The man and woman, named locally as Tom and Eileen Mahon, died when flames swept through their two-storey home at Deerpark on the outskirts of Swinford.

The Mahons ran a family retail business in the town, selling furniture, carpets and blinds.

The couple have two daughters, neither of whom were in the house at the time of the outbreak.

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The loss to the community and the manner in which the couple died has shocked the community.

One local, fighting back tears, described the loss of the Mahons as “absolutely heartbreaking”.

The resident, who did not wish to be named, said “one can see the pain of what happened written on people’s faces”.

The upstairs portion of the house was ablaze by the time fire brigade units reached the scene.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene before their bodies were removed in the early afternoon to Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar for postmortem examinations.

Gardaí have sealed off the fire-damaged property as they begin a forensic examination.

Although their investigation is at an early stage, officers say they do not believe there is anything suspicious about the fire.

John Caulfield, a local Fianna Fáil councillor, said the loss of the Mahons was the second fire tragedy in the area this month.

Mary McNicholas, who was in her 90s, died in a house fire in Kiltimagh, less than 12km from Swinford, on March 11th.

Cllr Caulfield said: “The whole community is shocked and saddened. Tom and Eileen were very well known and respected businesspeople.”