Offaly quadruplet brothers head off for first day of school

A little piece of history was made at Cappagh National School in Offaly this morning as a set of quadruplet brothers walked through the doors for their first day.

The Kelly quads, Luke, Charlie, Tom and James, were born in 2015 to David and Anita Kelly from Kilclonfert, and they joined big brother Matthew at 'big school' today.

Their birth was a rare occurrence, given that the chances of naturally conceiving quadruplets is 1 in 729,000. Only 6% of all quadruplets born worldwide are conceived naturally.

The boys were a big hit today with school principal Niall Kinnarney saying, "It's wonderful. The fact that we have the Kelly quads coming in here today is very rare and a big day for any school."

Speaking to Midlands 103, he said: "It's a big thing for their family and their friends and community, so we're absolutely delighted and over the moon to have them in here. We're very thankful to both parents David and Anita."

Posting an adorable picture of the boys with their brother Matthew on their dedicated Facebook page, the family said: "Our babies are off to school" and they headed off without a problem on their new adventure. 

There are no prizes for guessing the five-a-side team line-ups in the playground!