Houses searched as part of fire murder inquiry

Gardaí (Irish police) are carrying out searches at three homes as part of a murder investigation into a house fire which killed a woman and a young boy in County Offaly.

Tadhg Farrell, who was four, and his 60-year-old great-aunt Mary Holt died in the attack at a house in Castleview Park in Edenderry last week.

Another woman, Tadhg's grandmother, continues to receive hospital treatment for serious burns.

On Friday, gardaí confirmed it was conducting searches at homes in County Kildare and County Offaly.

Earlier this week, CCTV footage of the attack, which gardaí described as a "reckless, callous and murderous attack on a family home", was released.

The remains of Tadhg - who was visiting his grandmother at the time of the attack - and Ms Holt were discovered in the front room of the house where the fire was deliberately started.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that the house had been targeted previously.

On Friday, mourners at Tadhg's funeral Mass were told the four-year-old "filled hearts with a beauty, a light and a love that will never be swept away".

Reading words written by Tadhg's mother, Fr Gregory Corcoran told attendees Tadhg "filled a lifetime of love" into his short life.

"You had a smile that could light any room, a laugh that made even the heaviest days feel better and a spirit so bright that everyone who met you felt it," she said.

"You taught us what joy really looked like."

During the homily, Fr Corcoran said the young boy had been taken "in a way that makes no sense".

"We gather with broken hearts, carrying a grief that feels way too much."

Ms Holt's funeral Mass will take place on Sunday afternoon.

Gardaí said it continues to appeal to anyone with information on "this violent fatal incident" to contact them.