'Upset mother of Irish boy who died in Turkey with his father says he loved life'

The distraught mother of an Irish boy who died with his father in a horrific vacation accident struggled to hold back tears as she paid her respects to him. "He was the kindest, kindest man," Claire Dowling told The Irish Mirror newspaper as she traveled to Turkey following the deaths of her son Dylan (10) and his father Eoin Fitzpatrick in a car crash in a tourist resort on Monday.

G Ms Dowling gave an exclusive interview as she traveled to Turkey to comfort her eldest son Cian (14), who was holidaying with his father and brother when tragedy struck in the resort town of Alanya on Monday afternoon. Dylan and Mr. Fitzpatrick were killed when the moped they were riding collided with a bus at around 3:30 p.m. in''Monday - hours before the family were due to finish their vacation and return home to Portlaoise, County Laois, on Tuesday morning.

Chian, a talented Guelph player, was with Mr. Fitzpatrick's partner and her children and did not witness the horrific crash that later resulted in the arrest of the bus driver.

Mrs Dowling, like Mr Fitzpatrick, who lives in the Clonroosk Abbey settlement of Portlaoise, rushed to Dublin Airport on Tuesday to board a flight to Turkey when she was informed of the deaths of her son and his former partner. However, she told The Mirror newspaper en route to the west coast city where the accident happened to pay tribute to her son. She said she still doesn't know fully what happened. "I haven't even''managed to get to Turkey in time to see my boy or his father. Nobody told me anything,' she said." she said. But she added: "I just feel good that they are together. My little boy. "I just hope that when it happened - I don't know how it happened - he was smiling. "He loves me and he loves his daddy and I'm so glad they're together somewhere good. "

Mother Dowling cried as she spoke about how loving her young son Dylan was. She said: "He was the kindest, kindest person, but he could tear you in half. "He was such a bright character and anyone who met him would have said the same. "He's 10 years old and he still takes my hand and tells me he loves me no matter where we are. He's so kind." She added: "He loves to draw, he loves to swim''And golf - he loves all the things that normal ten-year-olds don't like. He wasn't like the rest of us. "I walk out of my bedroom in a dress, and I may not look good, and my teenage son won't say anything, but my younger son will say, 'Mom, you look beautiful.'" He was so kind. "He loved life.

Mother Dowling said she and Eoin were separated but united by their love for Chian and Dylan, and every year they took holidays with their children apart from each other. She said: "They come with me and then they go separately with their dad every year. We're not together but we're very, very united. "They were with me in Lanzarote in May, just the two of them. They had a lot of fun. They really enjoyed the water park. "They've traveled a lot; they've been to America this year, to Lanzarote and to''Turkey'.

She also spoke about her last conversation with the boys, in which they talked about how they wanted to come home. She said: "Dylan was in a great mood. I asked them, both of them, "Are you looking forward to coming home?" "I asked what they missed at home and they both said, "Wi-Fi, Xbox and Chinese food, and of course me. "

Other family members who spoke to The Mirror newspaper in Portlaoise said they feared it could take between a week and 10 days before Dylan and Eoin's remains are returned to Ireland. They also stressed that Ms. Dowling and Mr. Fitzpatrick were devoted to their children and united in caring for them, even though they were no longer in a relationship.

Turkish media reports father and son were hit by bus near pedestrian''transition on Monday afternoon. Medics and police arrived at the scene, but the father and son were pronounced dead. The driver of the bus, a Turkish national aged 28, has been arrested. Turkish police confirmed that the two dead men were both Irish and were vacationing in the area when the crash occurred. The Foreign Office said it was providing consular assistance in the case. A spokesman said: 'The Foreign Office is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. "As with all consular cases, the ministry does not comment on the details of any particular case. "

Sinn Féin MP for Loughis Offaly Brian Stanley, who lives next door to Ms Dowling, told The Star/Mirror newspaper that the community was shocked by the''s tragedy and that Ms. Dowling's boys were well known in the township. He also said that a cohesive community would support the families.