Tributes are being paid to a “hugely popular” and “hardworking” businessman who tragically lost his life in a workplace accident in Co Longford yesterday.

Forty-five-year-old Shane Carrigy was fatally injured at Carrigy’s Coaches in Ballinalee, a highly reputable bus company he had successfully grown to become one of the leading operators of its kind in the midlands.

The father of two, the Irish Independent understands, had been carrying out works on a bus when tragedy struck shortly before midday.

Gardaí, together with emergency services scrambled to the scene a short time later where, despite desperate attempts, the much loved businessman was pronounced dead at the scene.

His body was removed to Mullingar’s Midland Regional Hospital yesterday afternoon to allow for a post-mortem examination to take place.

Gardaí have since handed the circumstances surrounding yesterday’s tragic incident over to officials from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

A spokesperson confirmed its representatives were “aware of the fatal incident” with an investigation now underway.

In the midst of those inquiries, locals in and around the rural north Longford village have been paying their respects to one of its most respected and distinguished of sons.

One of those was local councillor Gerry Hagan who knew Mr Carrigy personally.

Mr Hagan said both he and the wider local community have been left “absolutely numbed” by the tragedy.

“Shane was a very hardworking young man who was operating a very successful business,” he said.

Mr Hagan also took time to single out how Mr Carrigy, who was the first cousin of Longford-Westmeath TD Micheál Carrigy, remained a stout supporter of all things GAA.

“He was a great GAA man followed in the Carrigy tradition of being involved locally in those circles and he always provided buses for Longford GAA over the years.

“Shane was just a very popular young man. The community is absolutely numbed at the thought of this tragedy and how an accident like this could take a successful young businessman’s life away in an instant.”