Funeral for man who drowned in River Lee to take place Monday
Luke Hyde, who was 34, died last Wednesday after getting into difficulty in the Pope's Quay area of the River Lee.
Late of Wolfe Tone Street, he is survived by his mother Lily who spoke out in the aftermath of his death as it emerged the drowning and the recovery of her son's remains had been recorded by some onlookers.
Speaking about Luke, Ms Hyde said: "He was the most placid, beautiful-mannered young fella God ever put on this earth."
Ms Hyde, 76, said she was "disgusted" and questioned why someone would stand by and film Luke's tragic death rather than do something to save him.
"It was like a circus. Them watching my son drown instead of trying to help him."
She said: "I don't think I can get through this, this is my second son [to die] in five years."
Speaking to RedFM's Neil Prendeville Show, Ms Hyde said she rang her son's phone on the day of the tragedy and when a garda answered, she ran down Shandon Street to the scene of the incident.
When I got down, they were putting him into the ambulance and I saw the crowds, I didn't know what was going on.
She said another son was also on the scene and he tried to shield her from the scene but was adamant she wanted to hold her son one last time saying: "I need to hold my boy, I need to see him."
Last Wednesday as the tragedy unfolded, gardaí had to push people back and increase the cordon around first responders as dozens of onlookers gathered to watch and film, some livestreaming.
Second officer with Cork City Fire Brigade Victor Shine said rescue teams saw no signs of lifebuoys in the water when they arrived at the scene.
Mr Shine said emergency services have been dealing with the rubber-necking phenomena for many years, and park their vehicles to afford some level of privacy to casualties. They can also erect privacy screens.
But he said the intrusion from onlookers during this incident was another level.
Mr Shine urged people who come upon such scenes to first consider how they could help, then consider the right to privacy of the individuals involved, and to respect the dignity of a deceased person.
'You have to realise that their families or friends might see these clips and images," he said.
'It's just uncontrollable at the moment. We sometimes use CCTV cameras to help identify what happened in an incident, but there are strict controls on how that footage is controlled and used. There are no controls on someone with a phone.'
Luke Hyde is survived by his son Leon, mother Lily, and siblings Michael, Mark, and Lucia, and predeceased by his late father Michael and brother Brian.
His requiem Mass will take place in the North Cathedral, and he will be laid to rest in Kilcully.
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