'Alex died trying to save someone — that's really something special,' says father of homeless man

A celebration of Alex Warnick's life was held at his funeral in Glasnevin Crematorium in Dublin last July. File picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

The American father of a homeless man who died while trying to save his friend from drowning will travel to Ireland later this year to pay tribute to the homeless services who supported his son.

Alex Warnick, aged 42, lost his life trying to rescue his 49-year-old friend Donal Scanlon who had fallen into the Royal Canal. The two men's remains were discovered by a passer-by at around 8am on July 6.