Day and boarding students at the Church of Ireland's Newtown co-educational school in Waterford city were in mourning yesterday following the sudden death of one of their classmates.
George Fitzgerald, a 15-year-old Junior Cert student, was playing rounders with friends at lunchtime on Wednesday when he collapsed in the school grounds.
Gardaí were alerted at 1.20 p.m. as the boy was rushed to the nearby Waterford Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
It is understood that the boy, who was due to start his Junior Cert next week, was from the Woodstown area of Co Waterford.
The school authorities declined to comment on the tragedy which claimed the life of the young sportsman as the school was winding down for the summer holidays.
A post-mortem examination was carried out, and an inquest will be held at a later date.
The death of the student is the fourth such tragedy to hit Waterford schools in the past 10 years.
A young boy died suddenly while playing soccer at De La Salle College, another died at St Declan's Community College, Kilmacthomas, and a young girl died playing badminton at St Angela's Secondary School, Ursuline Convent.
It also follows the sudden deaths of two leading Irish sportsmen in recent months.
Tyrone GAA star Cormac McAnallen died in March. A short time after, rugby star John McCall died while on tour in South Africa.