Prayer service held in County Clare for mother and children
Vanessa Whyte and her daughter Sara and son James were killed at a house in Maguiresbridge on Wednesday
- Published
A prayer service has been held in County Clare for a mother and two children killed in a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide in County Fermanagh.
Vanessa Whyte, 45, her 13-year-old daughter Sara Rutledge and her 14-year-old son James Rutledge died after they were shot at their Maguiresbridge home on Wednesday.
Ms Whyte was originally from Barefield, County Clare.
The prayer service took place at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in the village.
The shooting happened in a rural area about 75 miles (121km) west of Belfast and about eight miles from the county's largest town, Enniskillen.
Two of the victims were declared dead at the scene on Wednesday morning and a third died later in hospital.
A man - who is a member of the same household - is being treated for serious gunshot injuries at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
Police said no arrests had been made and it was not anticipated that any would be made.
They added that the investigation was at an early stage, but a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide was one line of inquiry for detectives.
On Saturday, police issued an appeal in relation to the movements of a silver Mercedes between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler on the day before the shootings.
'Devastated and broken'
Fr Tom Fitzpatrick says a "cloud had descended" over the community in the past few days
Parish priest in Barefield, Fr Tom Fitzpatrick, said a "cloud had descended" over the community in the past few days.
Fr Fitzpatrick said he did not know Vanessa, as she had left the parish, but did know her mother Mary very well.
"She's a great parish woman, she's very involved in the community," he said.
The priest said the community was "devastated and broken" when the news came through but they had come together in the time.
"We are a very close knit community in Barefield, like all rural communities when something happens to a individual or to a family the whole community gathers together," he said.
Fr Fitzpatrick said three candles that were lit during the service represents Ms Whyte and her two children
During the service, Fr Fitzpatrick said: "The unspeakable tragedy that has befallen our parish is something that is very hard to focus in on and get our minds around".
"What affects an individual or affects a particular family in the parish, it affects everybody," he added.
Fr Fitzpatrick said three candles that were lit during the service represents Ms Whyte and her two children and "the amount of light they brought into the world".
"I know Vanessa was a woman who gave, and who gave, and who gave, and James and Sara were light made flesh themselves," the priest said.
He said: "Let us remember Vanessa not just by the way she died, but by the life she lived, her smile, her strength, her incredible powerful love for her children. She gave it her all to the very end."
"We remember James and Sara, not just as victims of violence, but as children who played and who laughed and had their favourite stories, of course favourite foods I'm sure as well, and great dreams. Dreams that will never be fulfilled, but dreams that mattered because they were theirs."
Fr Fitzpatrick said "Vanessa was a woman who gave, and who gave, and who gave"
Fr Fitzpatrick said Vanessa's mother and her siblings had decided it would be too painful to attend.
"They felt it might be easier for themselves, and maybe for ourselves here, if they were looking in online from home. We are thinking of them very specially tonight," he said.
He also paid tribute to the people who travelled from Fermanagh.
"There are so many people here from our parish and so many people from far beyond the bounds of our parish too," he said.
"There is an extended community here and I would like to mention those who have travelled from the North of Ireland tonight. You are very specially welcome here tonight."
The Mayor of Ennis Mary Howard was at the service and said last week's events in Fermanagh had shocked the local community.
"It was an incredibly poignant night, incredibly sad. You could feel the sadness, everybody felt the sadness. Everybody felt that they would love to take away some of the pain from the family. This is their worst nightmare," she said.
"It really is heart breaking and everyone's heart is broken. Everybody is feeling the pain. Everyone is absolutely gutted."
A tribute to Vanessa Whyte and her two children was displayed in Croke Park in Dublin
A tribute to Ms Whyte and her children was displayed at the All-Ireland final in Croke Park in Dublin on Sunday.
Ms Whyte was an experienced veterinary surgeon, at the time of her death she was employed by Stormont's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).
Both children attended Enniskillen Royal Grammar School and were members of local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) teams and Enniskillen Cricket Club.
A book of condolences opened on Friday morning at Maguiresbridge Primary School, where James and Sara previously attended.
A vigil was held in the primary school grounds on Friday evening.
'Long association' with club
Siblings James Rutledge, 14, and his 13-year-old sister Sara both loved playing sport at Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
In a social media post, St. Joseph's Doora-Barefield GAA Club said they were "shocked" and "saddened" to hear of the tragic passing of Vanessa and her two children.
It said the Whyte family had a "long association" with the club and Ms Whyte herself had been a "very accomplished camogie player".