A Britain’s Got Talent star has tragically died at the age of 18.
Órán McConville was a talented footballer and singer whose school choir participated in the ITV competition BGT back in 2017.
The choir reached the semifinals in the year Toki Myers won the show.
McConville competed as part of St. Patrick’s Primary School, singing Keane’s ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ in an audition that impressed head judge Simon Cowell.
After hearing the devastating news of his passing, people have taken to social media and paid tribute.
One person wrote: “Heartbreaking, RIP young man.”
A second said: “RIP, fly high little man.”
“My prayers and love to his mum and brother, may they find the strength to cope with this absurd tragedy at this very difficult time,” commented somebody else.
A fourth penned: “Thinking of his whole family at such a sad time. RIP.”
McConville’s tragic passing came just six weeks after the sudden death of his father, Paddy.
The 18-year-old lost his life in a car crash and was pronounced dead at the scene. He had been sitting in the front passenger seat of a grey Volkswagen Golf when the collision occurred in the early hours of April 5. The driver of the vehicle was arrested at the scene.
Parish priest Charles Byrne, speaking to MailOnline, remembered Órán as a “natural performer” with a playful spirit, noting, “He got away with more mischief than most.”
“With a smile like his, who could stay mad for long?” he added. “Right now, we are all at a loss. Words feel painfully inadequate to express the grief and sorrow in our hearts.”
Drumgath GAC, the Gaelic Athletics club where Órán not only played but also helped coach younger players, described him as “kind, gentle, full of humor, and always ready for a chat.”
McConville’s family has faced unimaginable heartbreak over the years. In 2009, his older sister Rachael tragically lost her life after being struck by a Volkswagen people carrier.
Father Stephen Ferris, who was with the family at the hospital when Rachael passed, described the profound impact her death had on the local community.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph at the time, he said: “Rachael was a happy, intelligent, and talented child. She loved her family and friends deeply and had incredible potential.
“She was truly living life to the fullest. Her passing devastated our close-knit rural parish—it left everyone numb.”
In the years that followed, McConville’s mother channeled her grief into writing, sharing the family’s emotional journey through loss. Her first book, My Beautiful Daughter, My Beautiful Friend, was released in 2017.
It was followed by Rachael’s Rainbow: Never Give Up on Your Dreams and a spiritual reflection titled Time to Change, published in 2020.
