The family of an Irishman killed in Afghanistan while serving with the Royal Marines spoke yesterday of the void that has been left in their lives as tributes flooded in for the brave soldier.

Robert McKibben (32) died on Wednesday while on a joint patrol with Afghan soldiers in the dangerous Helmand province.

Another soldier, Neil Dunstan, from Bournemouth, was also killed in the explosion.

Mr McKibben’s family, from the village of Carrownalurgan, near Westport, in Co Mayo, yesterday told of their pride for “our Robbie” in a statement released through the Ministry of Defence.

“He had very definite plans of how he wanted to live his life; he was always thoughtful, considerate and had an amazing sense of humour that touched so many lives,” it read. “He was so full of life and was loved so much by his family and by all his friends. Robbie has left a huge void in our hearts and he will never be forgotten.”

Mr McKibben was well-known in Westport through his involvement with various sporting clubs, the scouts and later the FCA.

He worked in the Allergan pharmaceutical plant – where his mother Grainne remains an employee – as a teenager. He left Westport at 18 and completed a degree in Environmental Science, before joining the Royal Marines at 27.

“Growing up, he was an adventurous young man, involved in everything,” Martin Keane, a family friend and member of the Westport Town Council, said yesterday.

“We are devastated here in Westport that one of our own has been killed in Afghanistan, in a career of his own choosing,” he said.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew McInerney, said yesterday: “He was an immensely capable man, yet his humility made him an example and inspiration to all he served with. A true Commando; tough, unassuming and hugely convivial, he viewed life as a glass half-full.”

Known as ‘Frank’ to his fellow soldiers, Mr McKibben’s popularity is evident in the large number of tributes paid to him on the British Ministry of Defence website yesterday by fellow soldiers.

One officer, Captain Rob Hoey, recalled how the pair had once chatted about Mayo when waiting to do jumps on a parachute course.

“He was thrilled that someone else knew his home turf. It was clear that he had a real passion for the West coast of Ireland,” he said.