TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN paid to a young Irish man who has died in Indonesia.
26-year-old Val Brooks from Wheelagower near Bunclody, Co Wexford has died after emigrating to Australia last month.
His tragic death, which is understood to have been an accidental drowning, occurred while he was visiting Bali.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to his family.
Val’s family and friends’ hearts are “broken”, local priest Father Jim Fegan has said.
“When tragedy like this strikes in any of our families, it shows us how fragile life really is,” Father Fegan said, speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland.
The priest said Val was a carpenter and that he had friends who had emigrated before him. He had left Ireland around five weeks ago.
Fr Fegan described Val as a “young vibrant man full of life” who had strong relationships with his loved ones at home and kept in frequent contact while he was abroad.
“He touched a lot of lives and to see the amount of young people whose hearts are broken, it’s an awful tragedy.”
Arrangements are being made to repatriate Val’s remains back home to his family in Wexford. The details of his funeral have not yet been confirmed.
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