THE DISCOVERY of the body of missing farmer Vincent Wall in Rome on Christmas Eve, 10 days after he slipped into the Tiber river, has been greeted with relief in his native community in Co Waterford.
The people of Colligan, near Dungarvan, have been struggling to cope with the loss of 27-year-old Mr Wall, who disappeared into the swollen Tiber hours after arriving in the Italian capital.
Rescue teams recovered his body on Christmas Eve downstream from where he fell into the water.
Yesterday, a close friend of the Wall family (who does not wish to be named) said there was " a huge sense of relief" among Mr Wall's family, friends and the community in Colligan when news came through that his body had been discovered.
He said the family was coping "reasonably well", but it was obviously an extremely difficult time for them and a very sad Christmas. The family now face a wait of at least a week before Mr Wall's body is repatriated to Ireland.
The family friend added that "there was a special mass on Tuesday night in Colligan church before the body was found. Everybody in the church was in tears because there was no closure at that stage. People did not know whether to sympathise with the family or what to do or say. At least now there is some closure for them."
Mr Wall's fiancee, Cathy Braham, had been in Italy for a week and made a tearful plea for help in taking the man she described as her "soul mate" home. She flew home for Christmas.
Rescue teams discovered his body at the Isola Tiberina, an island in the middle of the Tiber, about a mile downstream from where he had disappeared in the early hours of December 13th.
The level of the river was more than 4½m (15ft) higher than usual as a result of heavy rains and the search was initially hampered because of the height and rapid movement of the water.
Rescuers had always focused their search on the Isola Tiberina as there is a system of weirs there and his body was spotted by a team of firefighters on a boat.
Police said that although he had not been formally identified, a wallet containing personal effects with his name on them was found in a pocket of his jeans.
Dearbhla Doyle, Irish Embassy official in Rome, said: "The family were here for several days after he disappeared hoping that his body would be found. They just wanted to take him home and now they will be able to do that.
"They had left before his body was found but they will return after Christmas so that he can be formally identified. The divers and rescue teams had been working very hard but the conditions were difficult. But they have now found the body and it is now a closure for the family."
Mr Wall was due to marry Ms Braham in two weeks' time and had been in Rome for the wedding of his best friend, an event which was cancelled when Mr Wall went missing.
He had been busy finishing construction work on the house in Colligan where he and his fiancee intended to set up home in the new year. He was described by friends as being an outgoing "salt of the earth type" who always went out of his way to be of assistance to neighbours.