Tributes paid to teenager following tragic death

TRIBUTES have been paid to teenager Matthew McCallan who was found dead after going missing in Fintona in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Aged 15, he was a student at St Patrick’s College in Dungannon and a player with Dungannon Clarkes GAA club.

In a social media post, his mother, Frances, thanked all those who had helped in the search for her son.

“To aoll the wonderful people who came out to help look for my beautiful son – you were amazing the community spirit was unbelievable I can’t thank you enough,” she said.

“He is now an angel in heaven and is going to be missed so much by his mummy, daddy and loving family. Sleep tight my darling.”

His school principal, Catherine McHugh, said Matthew was ‘the apple of his parent’s eye.’

“He was just a very quiet, modest, likeable boy and his smile would have lit up the room,” she said.

“It’ll be a big loss to his friends and the school community here and we will be providing them with that support. A lot of the staff anfd students were all down trying to help with the search and that is tribute to how highly thought of he was.

“We have not just lost a member of our school community – the world has lost a young man full of potential, ready and eager to start out on his journey of life and work.”