THE sister of a Cork man who died in a crash in Canada has paid tribute to the brother she described as a fabulous man.
Hertfordshire-based Kathríona McCann said her brother should have been wishing his young son a happy birthday today.
But instead, his devastated family are mourning the tragic loss and coming to terms with his sudden death at the weekend.
"Yesterday was very difficult. We found out in the early hours of Sunday morning," Ms McCann told The Irish Post.
"Raymond is probably the cheekiest chappie that you'll ever come across, a bit of a rogue, loved a good laugh.
"He loved to take to the mickey out of you, loved to wind me up - as a brother he knew how to press my buttons.
"He was very generous. He would give you 80 pence of his last pound.
"He had a very, very generous heart. He was a fabulous man to all of us."
Raymond McCann has been on an extended holiday in Canada at the time of the crash, which also claimed the life of Cathal Murphy from Bandon.
The pair had been travelling in a car in Manitoba when the incident happened.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 10.30am on Saturday morning where they found the vehicle had overturned.
Both men, who were aged as 42 and 33, were unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
Prior to the crash, Mr McCann had visited England and had also been in Tenerife with his family the week before.
He left Ireland, where he had been living and working, a month ago and had only been in Canada for two weeks before his death.
Ms McCann spoke of how her nephew TJ, Raymond’s son, turned five today and had celebrated over the weekend with a party.
"At the same time that Raymond's body was being discovered, TJ was having his birthday party," she said.
"If there was one thing that I will always remember about Raymond, it was his adoration for his son...and he absolutely adored him.
"TJ was the apple of his eye and the light of his life.
"It's a shock," Ms McCann added. "I had been communicating to him via Facebook Messenger.
"I was sitting here on Saturday night and I thought it's a bit bizarre Raymond wasn't online tonight, but I thought I'll catch up with him tomorrow night.
"And then the reality of why he wasn't on Facebook revealed itself as the night went on."
The McCann family are now making arrangements to repatriate Raymond's body back to Ireland.
"It's just hard to believe that we're not going to see him again," Ms McCann said.
"I don't think that shock and that reality has registered with us.
"For us getting him home is our priority so we can put reality to the situation and put him to rest.
Cathal Murphy, left, and Raymond McCann, were killed in a car crash in Canada at the weekend. (Picture: Facebook)Yesterday Sinn Féin County Councillor for Bandon, Rachel McCarthy paid tribute to the other Cork man who also died in the crash.
She described Cathal Murphy, who was from Bandon, as a great person.
“He was a great guy with a great personality. He had a good word for everybody and a very pleasant person,” she said.
“[He was] a genuinely happy person, a very talented soccer player,” Ms McCarthy added. “The town is definitely feeling the loss today.”
Ms McCarthy said Cathal Murphy was the second eldest of four boys, and had been travelling the world for a number of years.
He had also lived in Australia.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to both families.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Manitoba have appealed for information regarding the crash.
