The man who escaped from the sinking wreckage of a car which claimed the life of another young man off Co Donegal has told the dead man's family of his last tragic moments.
Lee Early perished when his car slid off a pier on Arranmore Island into freezing waters just after 5am on Sunday morning.
The 26-year-old drowned but another man, in his 30s, managed to swim to safety from the stricken car off Poolawaddy Pier.
Now it has been revealed how the man was able to pinpoint the exact location of the car before it was swept out to sea.
Island spokesperson Jerry Early, a cousin of the dead man's father Jimmy, said it is a small but very comforting consolation for the bereaved family.
Mr Early said: "The man who survived has been able to speak to the family. He is devastated at what happened.
"He is full of sadness and has so many questions of his own he is trying to answer.
"We have lost one of our community and we could have lost two and we are thankful that it is not the case.
"It is a small comfort but at least he was able to tell Lee's family what happened and they will not be left wondering what exactly did happen in the years to come.
"He was also a great help to the lifeboat in locating the car and locating Lee as it could have been swept out to sea."
A full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy has been launched by Gardai.
Lee's remains were taken by the Arranmore Ferry back to the island at 5pm today after a post mortem was carried out at Letterkenny University Hospital.
Mr Early said the entire island is just "numb" with the loss of one of their own.
He said that Lee was a real islander who would be one of the people expected to remain living on the island despite the challenges which constantly face the population of around 450 inhabitants.
"He was a real islander. If he was in Letterkenny he'd be longing to get back to the island. He was one of the people you would look to who would be driving the island forward.
"He was a devil and an angel. He would always be in the background but you could always depend on him. He was full of fun, full of devilment.
"The island is just numb and the people are numb. We will regroup as a community and we will come together in the coming days and help the Early family as best we can. That's what island communities are best at, looking after eachother," he said.
Lee was also a volunteer with the local RNLI and his father is the coxswain of the island's lifeboat.
It has also been revealed how the RNLI offered to stand down the lifeboat for the coming days in light of the tragedy but the offered was declined by the dedicated crew from the island.
A huge gathering is expected for Lee's funeral which takes place on Wednesday at noon at St Crone's Church with burial later in the adjoining cemetery.
The local Arranmore Hostel has offered free accommodation to anybody traveling to the island for the wake or the funeral.
Lee is survived by his father Jimmy, mother Noreen, brother Adam, sisters Rachel and Laura and a wide circle of family and friends.
