In the 40 hours before the sinking of the Tit Bonhomme all crew appear to have had at most four to five hours sleep.

That's one of the major findings of a report into the tragedy which saw five fishermen lose their lives off the coast of Union Hall in Cork in January of last year.

The report was published today by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board and found that the single overriding causal factor was insufficient rest for the crew and the non-compliance with the rules on hours of work and rest.

The document finds that the alarm was raised using one crew member's mobile phone despite the presence of a high frequency radio on board the vessel.

It also says that at least two of the crew of the ship had not undertaken the required basic safety training.