A County Kildare parish priest has urged parents to be vigilant when
bringing young children up to the gallery space in churches when
attending mass after a two-year toddler had a dramatic escape after
falling nearly 20 feet during a First Communion ceremony last weekend.
The toddler was attending Mass in Naas in County Kildare with his
parentswhen he fell from the gallery of a packed church during a First
Holy Communion celebration.
Parish priest Fr Tom McDonnell revealed how the child miraculously
escaped uninjured.
He said, “He managed to get up on the balustrade of
the gallery and climbed over it. He's only two and he's inclined to be
very active. It happened while everyone was standing for the gospel and
he landed on the shoulders of a man who broke his fall.”
“Obviously he was frightened and there was lots of crying. His
parents rushed down to comfort him. Thankfully a doctor happened to be
among the parishioners and was able to check if he needed first aid. He
was later taken to Tallaght hospital and was given the all clear.”
Fr McDonnell said that the incident was a lesson for all to be very
careful when using galleries in churches, as many were built in the
early 1900's long before modern health and safety measures were
implemented.
“Particularly in churches in the country, the balustrades and
railings wouldn't be high enough. This is something that in hindsight
shouldn't have happened. We want to ensure that everything is made safe
here and that nothing similar happens anywhere else.”
He added that the balcony area will be among one of the first things
to be looked at as part of a renovation planned for Our Lady and Saint
David's Parish Church on the Sallins Road.