BY MICHAEL BRESLIN
Police are investigating the circumstances at Portora pool on Tuesday of last week that preceded the death in a Belfast hospital on Thursday morning last of eight-year old Mullanaskea Primary School schoolboy, Paul Bogue who lived with is parents, Thomas and Angela at Largy, Garvary near Tempo.
He is further survived by his older sisters, Emma and Orla and by his grandmothers, Peggy Bogue and Josie O'Brien.
News of the tragedy, coming so soon after a number of other sudden deaths in the county, stunned and saddened an entire community.
The youngster had excelled at sport - swimming, gaelic football and soccer - and, according to Fr John Halton, the Parish Priest of Tempo in his homily at the funeral Mass on Saturday, he was, 'a beautiful little boy'.
"He was full of life and he was full of fun. He was chatty, talkative and loving. He was innocent, helping and playful. He loved fun and he loved sport".
At time of going to Press, the cause of death is not known. Paul, along with five or six cousins and friends had gone to Portora swimming pool last Tuesday. He was no stranger to the pool, having acquired his 100 metres' swim Certificate last year. Indeed, he was regarded as a competent swimmer, and an enthusiastic one, according to Marshall Coalter, the chairman of the Friends of Portora Pool.
"He was the first in the pool that morning. He wanted to be first in, he was such a bubbly wee guy", Mr Coalter explained. He said he himself was not there when an emergency occurred,
"Paul and his wee friends had been swimming in .6 of a metre of water. We had five lifeguards on duty, all fully qualified. Paul just stood up in the middle of the pool and walked over to the side and one of the lifeguards felt he didn't seem to be OK. They tried to speak to him, but he didn't say anything, so they lifted him out of the pool and laid him on the side of the pool'.
At the same time, an ambulance was sent for and that resuscitation began immediately.
"There were actually two parents at the pool, one of whom was trained in CPR. She began working on Paul and, within 6-7 minutes, the ambulance arrived and rushed him to the Erne Hospital".
Paul was later transferred to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children where he died last Thursday.
Marshall Coalter said everyone attached to Portora, the school of which he is a member of the Board of Governors, and the outdoor pool which re-opened for the Summer on 1st July last were shocked at the tragedy.
"Our entire sympathy, and I'm sure that of the whole community, goes out to the Bogue and the O'Brien families. Portora pool was opened in 1956, and this is the first real incident that has happened at it.
Paul was an under-10 footballer with Tempo Maguires, and was a regular at Enniskillen Town's Saturday morning soccer coaching sessions. He was a member of the Town Colts 'C' team which played in the club's recent Mini Soccer tournament for primary schoolchildren.
The removal of Paul's remains left his late home for 12 noon Mass of the Angels in the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday last. There was an overflow congregation, with twice as many outside as inside.
Fr Halton extended on behalf of himself and the people of the parish sincere sympathy to the Bogue family. He told the family that the few words he and others had to say failed to express how people felt.
"All we can offer is our presence, our silence and our prayer. We ask Jesus to do the rest. We cannot understand why Paul, one of our little ones, should be taken from us. We cannot understand why Thomas and Angela should have to carry this heavy cross.
"All of us know that Angela and Thomas are very devoted parents. They live for their children. For them, Paul was special. He was a dream come true and, now that dream seems to be shattered in the blink of an eye".
"We know that everything possible was done to save Paul, and this is why we must remind ourselves again and again that the reason for Paul's death is a secret in the mind and heart of God".
Fr Halton then took up his profile of, 'a beautiful little boy', touching firstly on his adored 'Man United', and how he regaled his parents with tales from the football pitch and his school.
He went on: "He loved coming to Tempo for chips on a Saturday night or he knew that Nannies always have money and are very generous. But, while he was the apple of his parents' eye and adored by his two sisters, he wasn't spoiled or selfish, but was always the child who would run to you, if he knew you, to share whatever he was eating".
Fr Halton revealed that he had been told by Paul's teacher that he was not only a loving child, but that he was bright and talented and had a bright future ahead of him.
"She hadn't dreamt that this great future would not be with us, but with Jesus who says: 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for to such as these belongs the kingdom of Heaven."
The choir was drawn from Mullanaskea Primary School, Paul's School whose entire school population, pupils and staff, returned to school especially the day before to rehearse their role. Paul's cousins, Niall and Ronan Bogue sang two of his favourite tunes, 'Sarah McLachlan's 'Angel' and Shayne Ward's, 'That's My Goal'.
The school guard of honour linked up with Paul's former colleagues in Enniskillen Town Colts primary school team and Tempo GFC's under-10's and minor boys and, also, with his sister, Orla's playing colleagues in the Tempo ladies seniors and the Fermanagh under-18's of which she is a playing member, and Tempo GFC members, and with students and staff from Mount Lourdes Grammar School where Orla is a student and her sister, Emma, recently graduated, a past student.
A post mortem was carried out on Paul's remains on Thursday last, 13th July on the instruction of the Coroner. However, he was unable to confirm the cause of death at present as he is awaiting the post mortem report.
His office did confirm that the Coroner has asked the PSNI to investigate Paul Bogue's death.
Portora Pool reopened on Monday of this week, at the Bogue family's request.
