A woman has died in a house fire near Union Hall in West Cork, writes Noel Baker of the Irish Examiner.

The blaze gutted the small stone cottage in the quiet coastal area of Myross, where the woman lived on her own.

The woman is understood to have been in her late 50s and was well known and liked in the locality.

Gardaí have said neighbours raised the alarm just after 8am today.

At least two units of the fire brigade attended the scene from Skibbereen.

However, the fire consumed the inside of the small cottage, which backs onto a quiet inlet a few miles out of Union Hall.

The blaze also burnt through some of the old slate roof, which was still smouldering this afternoon, some hours after the fire went out.

It is understood the woman who had been living in the tiny cottage had been unwell in recent years following a stroke and was receiving care from a nearby uncle and from the home help service.

It is understood her own mother had lived in the house and that she lived much of her life there apart from a period she spent in England.

Gardaí in Skibbereen are investigating the possible cause of the blaze and the scene remains closed off.