"He was coming home next week for a holiday and was going to bring the two girls and his son Dominic to Disneyland Paris, " she said.

Yesterday, Derek's first wife Jane and their son Dominic (24) flew out to Bahrain along with Derek's sister Lorraine and her husband Shay. Back in the terraced house in Drogheda where she had reared her six children Mae spoke movingly about her "workaholic" and big-hearted son who had done a lot in his life and was loved by all those he had known.

Derek and his Thai-born second wife Orathie (32) and their two children Fern (11) and Gigi (7) had moved to Bahrain last April. He was an electrician and builder and has worked around the globe.

They had lived at the Hill of Moynalty near Kells, Co Meath, before that and the two girls had developed Irish accents, loved Irish dancing and their local national school.

Derek had returned to Ireland just a few months ago to see Dominic graduate as an engineer. In a twist of fate, Dominic was waiting at Dublin Airport to board a flight to Bahrain where he was about to start a new job when he was told about the accident.

Derek and Orathie died together after what was meant to be a corporate celebration following the completion of a major stage in the construction of a hotel turned into a nightmare.

In her sitting room adorned with pictures of her children and grandchildren, Mae Cunningham said: "I would rather go myself."

"He was the best of a son; he did all the jobs for you. He was a workaholic; since he was 16 when he went to serve his time as an electrician he was doing something, " she added.

After he qualified as an electrician, he went back to school and studied for his Leaving Certificate and then went on to third level.

"He was on his honeymoon (with Jane) in Austria when his Leaving certificate results arrived and I posted them onto him!" recalled his sister Jacinta.

She said "He was a great guy, just brilliant. He was always there for us in times of trouble, was supportive and calm in a crisis. A hard-working and lovely fella."

Derek's work brought him to Thailand . . . where he met Orathie while working on the construction of a hotel 10 years ago . . . as well as Germany, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

His family was very important to him and they all travelled from Drogheda to Thailand seven years ago for his wedding to Orathie. The two girls he adopted are cousins and their fate is uncertain now their mother and father are dead.