Eamon McGlinchey (38), from Coalisland in Co Tyrone, was on a two-week honeymoon in Cyprus. He had married his partner of four years, Sinead Dillon, just 10 days earlier.

It is believed the father-of-one was with his wife when the tragedy happened on Tuesday morning.

Members of the McGlinchey family were last night preparing to fly out to the holiday island and will accompany the body home once a post-mortem examination has been completed.

His distraught parents, Edmund and Jean, were being comforted by relatives and friends as they struggled to come to terms with their son's tragic death.

Eamon, who had one son, Leon, is also survived by his sisters Marie and Oonagh. His wife, Sinead, is said to be "devastated" by the tragedy.

The family own McGlinchey's cafe in Coalisland town centre. Yesterday it was closed as a mark of respect.

Speaking last night Eamon's father, Edmund, said he was "devastated" and described how he had endured an agonising two-hour wait for official news of his son's death.

"I just can't put into words how I feel," he told the Belfast Telegraph. "I'm devastated, but what can you do?

"The first I heard was when his wife phoned the shop but there was no definite word and we had to wait another two hours until the Irish Embassy got in touch with the people out there.

"There are three or four members of the family going out there today and hopefully they will come home with his body. We wouldn't want Eamon to come home alone."

Mr McGlinchey described how the happiness of his son's wedding on June 21 had so quickly turned to tragedy, and said Eamon's death was the "end of his world".

"Eamon was a very modest, lovely big fella," he continued. " People always say nice things about their families but I'm not saying that just because he is my son. Everyone liked Eamon.

"They were married on June 21, less than two weeks ago. All my thoughts are with his poor wife. She will be heartbroken. I don't know how I'll cope. All I know is that this is the end of my world."

Meanwhile the priest who married the couple on June 21, Canon John Kearney, said he was stunned by the tragedy.

"When you officiate at a wedding it is traditional to say the couple are together for better for worse, for richer for poorer and all the days of their life. Unfortunately this time it was just days, rather than months or years," he said.

"I was ordained 40 years ago and this is the first time that anything like this has happened. It is absolutely tragic."

He said the couple had been together for four years and spoke movingly of the preparations which Sinead had put into the wedding day.

"Sinead had spent two or three years getting ready for it," he added. "She attended to every detail and everything was organised to perfection.

"Ironically the honeymoon had been a last-minute addition to those plans. I think the details were only finalised during the week leading up to the wedding."

The McGlinchey family was last night being assisted by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. A spokesman said they were doing everything possible to help the family.

Local SDLP councillor Jim Cavanagh said his thoughts were with the McGlincheys.

"There is a quite a shock over the whole area today," he said. " Everyone has been stunned at such a tragic event.

"Obviously my sympathies go out to his wife and his family. The McGlincheys are well-known and respected in Coalisland and this is a tremendous blow to that community."