A man in his mid-20s drowned on Saturday evening when his car plunged into a canal - with Gardaí probing the tragedy.
The passenger had been in the vehicle with two other men when it left an unmapped laneway and entered a river 3km outside Ballyheady Bridge in Co Cavan.
The sudden death of the man, from Naas, Co Kildare took place after the car had turned off the Ballinamore to Ballyconnell road at 6.30pm.
The body of the victim, who had been visiting the area, was later recovered from the water in the remote location on Saturday night.
The two other occupants managed to escape the vehicle, but their attempts to save their companion was unsuccessful.
One of the pair who avoided serious injury was taken to Cavan General Hospital as a precaution.
The tragic incident occurred at an unfenced section of the bank at Woodford River, which leads onto the Shannon-Erne waterway.
The three men had earlier visited a family close to the area where the car entered the water.
The vehicle was recovered from the river on Sunday, while the surrounding area was closed off by Gardaí investigating the fatality.
The scene is a number of kilometres from the Ballinamore to Ballyconnell road and not ordinarily used by traffic.
It is believed the laneway was constructed for access during restoration works on the canal.
Local people were described as being shocked by the tragic incident.
Fianna Fáil Cllr John Paul Feely told RTÉ News: “It appears that these young men were visiting a family locally and went in a road which accesses Shannon Erne waterway.
“It’s a wonderful amenity which we have in this part of the world.
“But it is also a very dangerous amenity in that there is open water where a [part] of the canal is accessible and it seem that the car ended up in the canal with this devastating result.”
Gardaí said in a statement: “Gardaí in Cavan are investigating an incident this evening Saturday 21st September 2019 on the Ballinamore to Ballyconnell Rd, Co Cavan.
“Gardaí and Emergency services attended the scene following reports that a car had entered the water.
