Tragic Marie Downey suffered a seizure when she fell from her hospital bed, it is believed.
The 36-year-old mum of three was breast-feeding her four-day-old son Darragh when the tragedy struck. He also died.
A source said one theory is the seizure may have been sparked by an underlying medical issue.
Marie had been checked on by Cork University Maternity Hospital staff at 7am on Monday and she was doing well.
However, when doctors returned an hour later they found her and Darragh on the floor.
They attempted to revive her but she was pronounced dead.
Darragh was in a critical condition and subsequently died on Tuesday evening. Mrs Downey will be laid to rest with her son in her arms.
The deaths are being treated as a “tragic occurrence”.
A family pal described the double tragedy as “unbelievable” .
The source added: “She was a gorgeous girl. She had a heart of gold, she was very caring.”
Marie’s parents Jim and Helen Cullinane, from Ballyagran, Co Limerick, were said to be “trying to come to terms” with the deaths of their only daughter and grandson.
The pal added: “Her family are fantastic people, farming people, good people.
“This is disastrous for them, our thoughts and prayers are with them. She was a lovely person.
“Her family are steeped in hurling and are well known in the local farming community.”
Mum of newborn baby who died in double tragedy at Cork hospital named as Marie Downey
Marie was a big fan of Limerick hurling, and lived in her adopted home of Kildorrery, Co Cork.
She had previously hurled with Castletown-Ballyagran camogie club.
Local camogie representatives said they were “shocked” after hearing of the tragedy.
Limerick Camogie County Chairperson Liz Hennessy said she and her colleagues offered their “condolences”.
A spokesman for Castletown-Ballyagran GAA club said it did not wish to comment, however, local GAA sources described the news as “a disaster”.
He added: “We are trying to get our heads around it. It’s a shocker.”
Ms Downey was living in Knockanevin, Kildorrery, Co Cork, along with her husband Kieran and their young sons James and Sean.
A local source said: “We are all just numbed by this. You just could not make something like this up. It’s beyond tragic.”
“Little James is attending junior infants in the national school and Sean is only a toddler. Everyone here is shocked.”
Plans were being made for the two funerals, which were expected to be held in Ballyagran.
Kildorrery Parish Priest Fr Eamonn Kelleher said: “The Downey family are good, honest, decent Christian people and an awful tragedy has come upon them. The hearts of all the parish, and indeed beyond the parish, go out to them. They are a very close-knit community in Knockanevin and the family are held with great affection.
“We are praying for the family daily that they get strength in what will be a very dark time.
“The community with great
discretion and gentleness have been trying to offer as much practical support as they can. But when you encounter a terrible grief like this, sometimes you don’t know the best thing to do.
“At the end of it, grief is a very lonely place and people must carry that kind of grief within themselves.
“But they are surrounded here by affection and support.”
Fr Kelleher said the tragedy was “a fierce blow” to Kildorrery National School where one of Ms Downey’s sons is a junior infants pupil and her sister-in-law Ellen is a teacher. Speaking at the school, he added: “Kieran’s sister works here and is hugely respected and is a great teacher.
“I’ve just been speaking with the [pupils] and they’re praying for her and thinking of her.
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“There is a great bond among the community here. The family are hugely respected.
“They are remembering them, first, their prayers, and they are also trying to assist them. We also pray for Kieran, as he has a very sad and difficult road ahead.
“People here are just shocked, even numbed by the tragedy. I don’t think I can say more.”
Jerome Scanlon, a Fine Gael representative of Ms Downey’s home said the community was “distraught” at the tragedy.
He added: “It’s a very close-knit community and a community that is distraught for James and Helen for the loss of their daughter, their only child, and, of course their grandson.
The community is rallying around them.
James has been very much involved in the GAA for years and people in the neighbourhood are really sad. It’s dreadful.”
Funeral arrangements will be made in the coming days and it is expected mother and her newborn son will be laid to rest in their native parish.
Postmortems will be carried out on mother and child at Cork University Hospital.
It is understood she studied in Limerick before moving to Knockanevin, Sraharla, Co Cork.
