Mother of man who dies suddenly after street collapse tells of heartbreak

Scene where Willie Dallas was found, in Clare Street, Ballycastle

The funeral for Mr Dallas, who was in his 50s, will be held on Monday in Loughguile.

A PSNI spokesman said that a postmortem examination was carried out and “his death was not suspicious”.

Tributes to the father-of-four have been paid since the shock news of his death became known.

His heartbroken mother Mary said Willie was “the second of eight of my children to go”.

She said: “He was a great man who could have turned his hands to anything.”

Mrs Dallas, a widow, said her son had been “very kind and good-natured”.

“He was a great man,” she said. “You always could have depended on him and I saw a lot of him.

“He was there when you needed him and was very understanding.

“He could have papered, painted and done all manual work.

“This is my second child to die.”

Independent councillor for Ballycastle, Padraig McShane, said he had worked with Mr Dallas in the building trade “around 20 years ago”.

“I know his family well and I know how upset they are at his sudden death,” he said.

“I want to express my heartfelt sympathy to his family at this time.”

Fellow independent councillor Seamus Blaney said he knew Mr Dallas “from when he was a young man living in Ballycastle”.

“At that stage he worked in the building trade and was a great sportsman in the GAA.”

He added: “The Dallas family are very well known and respected in the Ballycastle area and beyond. Willie was well liked.

“He would have come into Ballycastle to socialise and to see his family, and I didn’t see him that long ago.

“His family are also involved in GAA in Loughguile where they live.

“The town has been in great shock since news of his death came through. Many people didn’t know what had happened to him and I know his family are devastated.

“This is the second of the family to die at a young age. It is a terrible tragedy.