Toddler killed in road traffic collision outside his home suffered fatal head injuries, inquest hears

Seán McCárthaigh

A young toddler who was killed after being struck by a vehicle close to his home in Dublin last year suffered fatal injuries to his head, an inquest has heard.

Theo McEnroe (1) was pronounced dead on October 7th, 2025 at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin where he had been rushed by ambulance.

The fatal incident occurred close to the boy’s family home at Rathmintin Crescent, Jobstown, Tallaght at around 2pm on the same day.

The opening of an inquest into the toddler’s death at Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard Theo was just 18 months old at the time of the fatal incident.

Garda Patrick Prendergast gave evidence that the little boy was formally pronounced dead at CHI at Crumlin at 2.38pm.

Garda Prendergast also confirmed that the victim’s mother, Ciara Kennedy, formally identified her son’s body to him at the mortuary in the hospital just over an hour later.

No member of the boy’s family attended the brief hearing at the court in Store Street on Monday.

Detective Inspector Denise Donnegan applied for an adjournment of the inquest under Section 25 (1) of the Coroners Act on the basis that criminal proceedings are being considered.

Det Insp Donnegan said she expected progress in the Garda investigation into the circumstances of Theo’s death during the six-month period of the requested adjournment.

The coroner, Clare Keane, granted the application and listed the case for a further update on September 29th.

Dr Keane also confirmed that a postmortem on the victim’s body showed the young boy had died as a result of “head trauma.”

The toddler is survived by his parents, Ciara and Shane, and two older sisters.

In a social media post following the tragic incident, Theo’s father, Shane McEnroe, posted an emotional tribute to his son.

“My son, you are my world. My boy, I’ll forever love you son, I love you so much. This feels like a bad dream,” he wrote.