A TEENAGER has lost his battle for life three days after falling ill at a music festival in Cork.
The boy died on Monday as the result of a suspected drugs overdose. It is believed he had ingested a “bad batch” of MDMA at the festival.
Jack Downey, who was 19 and from Clonmel in Tipperary, had presented himself to medical staff when he felt unwell, and his condition quickly deteriorated.
Shortly afterwards, a statement was released on social by the festival organisers advising people not to ingest anything if they could not be sure what was in it.
In the statement, the festival said: “We have reports of a bad batch of something in the campsite, do not consume any substance that you are unsure about, it has the potential to make you very sick”.
Welfare Message - We have reports of a bad batch of something in the campsite, do not consume any substances that you are unsure about, it has the potential to make you very sick. Please be careful and look after each other.
— INDIE (@Indie_pendence) August 2, 2019
The teenager was rushed to Cork University Hospital but passed away on Monday surrounded by family.
A mass to pray for his recovery was due to be held in Tipperary on Monday evening. Instead, the mass prayed for his soul and paid tribute to his life.
Jack’s parents were in attendance, having returned to Tipperary earlier that day after Jack’s passing.
Jack was very involved in the Clonmel community, and tributes from friends and organisations within the town began to emerge as the news of his passing spread, including from his football club, Clonmel Town FC.
We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Jack Downey who passed away on Monday. Jack shared a deep love of sport and was an extremely popular lad and will be missed by all and especially his teammates in Clonmel Og. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
— Clonmel Town FC (@clonmeltown) August 6, 2019
An investigation will now be launched to determine the details which led to the teenager's death.
