THE body of a former GAA player who died in a tragic boating accident in Australia on Saturday could take up to a week to be returned to his native south Armagh.
Niall Quinn (27), a former player with Silverbridge GAA club, died after falling from a houseboat into the Murray River on the border of New South Wales and Victoria.
It is understood he slipped and hit his head after climbing onto a rail. His body was located in waters nearby by police divers.
Peter Hayes of the New South Wales Police Department said: "On the way down he has actually collided with the bottom deck of the boat and as a result he has fallen into the river and gone under the water."
Mr Quinn had been working as a builder in Melbourne for the past year and had been enjoying a weekend away with friends on the boat when the tragedy struck.
A former pupil at St Joseph's High School in Crossmaglen, the school said it wished to extend "its deepest sympathy" to the family of Mr Quinn.
Silverbridge GAA tweeted that Mr Quinn was a "genuine talent and proud son of our club."
Former Armagh GAA captain Jarlath Burns tweeted: "Utterly devastating news about the tragic death of our much loved @SilverbridgeGAA player Niall Quinn. Please pray for his family today. Privileged to have known and played with him."
Utterly devastating news about the tragic death of our much loved @SilverbridgeGAA player Niall Quinn. Please pray for his family today.
— Jarlath Burns (@jburns834) January 23, 2016
Sinn Féin councillor Terry Hearty, who knows the Quinn family well, said the news was "distressing" for an area from which so many young people had emigrated.
Mr Hearty said: "Our own son is in Melbourne and it does bring it home. It is the sort of news that scares all parents.
"We have a lot of young people with trades who went out. There are probably 7-8 families around us here who have young people out there. A lot of them went to Australia as the downturn wasn't affecting it as much."
It is understood that Mr Quinn is survived by his parents, a sister and two brothers.
Members of the Quinn family are believed to have flown out to Australia last night.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to the family, while the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust is also helping with arrangements to bring the body back to Armagh.
Colin Bell, from the Trust, told The Irish News: "It is Australia Day on Tuesday so that might slow things down. He has to be flown to Sydney for an autopsy first, so at the earliest it will probably be next weekend."
The family also experienced tragedy during The Troubles.
Mr Quinn's uncle, Michael, was one of three people who died in a gun and bomb attack by the notorious Glennane gang in Silverbridge in December 1975.
The teenager was serving petrol at Donnelly's Bar and Service Station when it was attacked by the loyalist gang.
The Michael Donnelly Cup, named after the teenager, is contested every year at Silverbridge GAC.
