A 16-year-old boy has died suddenly in Athlone in the third such tragedy this week.
The teenager collapsed in the school yard at the Marist College in the town at about 3pm this afternoon, shortly before the school day finished at 3.30pm.
A spokesman for the school confirmed that the boy had collapsed and was treated almost immediately by medical personnel. He was taken to Portiuncula hospital but was pronounced dead.
"The young boy quite simply collapsed," the spokesman said. He said the boy had no medical condition that was known to the staff at the school.
The 16-year-old was in 5 thyear in the first year of the Leaving Certificate cycle at the school attended by about 400 students.
"He was a student who was central to our school and to our community," the spokesman at the school told ireland.com.
"For the whole school community, it is very frightening to think that something like this can happen."
School staff were informing other students at the all-boys' school of the news this evening and teachers will be on hand tomorrow to offer their services, the spokesman said.
Counsellors will also be available to students at the school on Monday.
"The students are lucky in that they will be with their families over the weekend," the spokesman said.
He said there was no way of explaining such a tragedy to young people but that, with similar deaths occurring recently, including one just a short distance away in Moate, they were aware that sometimes such things happen.
The boy who died was originally from Pakistan and his family had been living in Athlone for a number of years. The school principal was with the family this evening.
It is the third such tragic death this week. In Tyrone, 10-year-old Patrick Breen died during a GAA training session in the village of Drumquin.
Tony Parker (16), a student at Moate Community School just 10 miles from Athlone died suddenly as he took a PE class. He was buried this morning in Donegan Cemetry following his funeral at Corpus Christi Church in Mount Temple.