The bodies of Dubliner Nicholas Jamieson (24) and Barry McGlade (20) from Omagh were discovered by police at Gortin Lakes late yesterday afternoon after letters were sent to their families detailing their plans.

Drumragh priest Fr Neil Farran, who knew the young Omagh man, said his parents became aware of their son's plans after they received a letter in the post on Monday.

"In the letter it says what they were doing and that there would be identification and the location of where they would find their bodies in the lake," he told the BBC.

"It is very frightening. These families did not expect this. These fellows seem to be quite happy and normal. This was something out of the blue because they were much loved.

"This is very traumatic for the families and my heart goes out to them."

It is understood both men had been missing since Saturday and were last seen carrying backpacks in the area of the small lakes in the Gortin Glens, not far off the main road to Omagh.

Nicholas came from the Walkinstown area of Dublin. Barry lived at Brook Valley, Omagh.

The alarm was raised when they failed to return home at the weekend. Police divers found their bodies on Tuesday afternoon.

It is understood the young men met in an internet chat room.

A PSNI spokesperson said police did not suspect a crime and that the internet chat room theory was one line of inquiry they were following.

Post-mortem examinations have been carried out and an inquest will held into their deaths.

Omagh independent councillor Johnny McLaughlin said: "This is a real tragedy.

"The McGlade family is well known and very respected and anything they do would be for the betterment of the community in which they lived."

Meanwhile, Stormont ministers were urged to make trained counsellors available to every school in Northern Ireland to steer young people away from self-harm and suicide.

After a meeting with Education Minister Caitriona Ruane, representatives of the Pips Project - which highlights suicide and self-harm problems - were hopeful she would address the role schools could play.

Gerard McCartan, whose 18-year-old son Danny committed suicide in his home in north Belfast in 2005, said he believed the minister was sincere in trying to tackle the problems of suicide and self-harm, and the need to train teachers.

"It would be good to have trained counsellors on the outside who could be on call during school hours to address a problem - someone a young person can talk to and trust, who they can email in confidence or ring about themselves or another young person," he said.

"You cannot dismiss a child who is down, depressed. That is the wrong attitude."

It is estimated 150 people take their lives in Ulster each year, with the problem particularly acute in north and west Belfast.

Ms Ruane was also told primary schoolchildren as young as eight and nine were turning to drugs, not for recreational use but to block out problems.

Ms Ruane paid tribute to Pips for the work it was engaged in.

She said she also understood some parents' concerns about how the education system had failed their loved ones.

"Parents are concerned the education system is not broad enough and they would like to see policies in place to ensure that bullying is tackled and the needs of individual children are met," she said.

"Children need to have their say and young people need to have their say."