Vigil held after four young people killed in crash

Nicole Murphy, Luke McSweeney, Grace McSweeney and Zoey Coffey died in a car crash on Friday evening

Thousands of people have attended a vigil in memory of four young people who died in a car crash in Clonmel, County Tipperary, on Friday.

Brother and sister Luke McSweeney, 24, and Grace McSweeney, 18, died in the crash along with 18-year-olds Nicole Murphy and Zoey Coffey.

The three teenagers were on their way to meet friends to celebrate receiving Leaving Cert exam results.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ understands that the car, which had been travelling downhill, lost control and overturned.

Earlier on Sunday, Mass services honoured the four deceased and dozens of people lay flowers at the scene of the crash.

Hundreds gathered at Kickham Plaza in Clonmel for a prayer vigil

Up to 2,000 people are estimated to have gathered at Kickham Plaza in Clonmel on Sunday evening, RTÉ reports.

Among those in attendance were classmates of Ms McSweeney, Ms Coffey and Ms Murphy.

The event was attended by the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Alphonsus Cullinan, and was led by the Mayor of Clonmel, Cllr Richie Molloy, and local clergy.

Fr Michael Toomey said the community had been left "speechless"

Fr Michael Toomey said everyone in Clonmel had been left speechless by the tragedy which had sent "shockwaves right across our family, our schools, our town, our country".

Addressing young people in the crowd, the priest said he expects many of them are going through "shock or pain or denial".

He said that some people will be struggling to make sense of it, and urged people in the community to "stick together" in the time ahead.

Members of the National Ambulance Service were among those gathered at the vigil

Bishop Cullinan said it was "amazing to see so many" people attending the vigil, adding that there was a "goodness" in the coming together of people.

He said people would support one another in the coming days and "find a strength in that".

The vigil closed with the playing of the song Rise Up by Andra Day, prompting tears from students in the crowd.

Mourners were urged to "stick together" in the time ahead

'Unbearable grief'

On Saturday, two school principals have paid tribute to the students who received their exam results hours before the crash.

Michael O'Loughlin, from Presentation Secondary School which Ms Coffey and Ms McSweeney had attended, said a day of celebration had been replaced by "unbearable grief and a great sense of loss".

He said the school and town are "covered in a cloud of sadness and devastation" after the deaths of the students who were "loved by everybody who met them".

Michael O'Loughlin and Anne McGrath paid tributes to their former pupils

Anne McGrath, principal of Loreto Secondary School which Ms Murphy had attended, said she had been "looking forward with excitement to starting the next phase of her young life".

The principal described her as a "beautiful student" who was "highly regarded by staff and students alike".

"No words can express our sorrow, pain and grief."

Flowers have been placed at the scene of the crash

In a statement, CBS High School said it was devastated at the death of past pupil Luke McSweeney.

Fr Michael Toomey, a chaplain at the school, described Mr McSweeney as a "quiet young man", and a rugby player with "a great sense of humour".

CBS added that it was supporting Mr McSweeney's younger brother, as well as the brother of Ms Murphy.

On Saturday, Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar and the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, led tributes to the deceased.

The taoiseach offered his condolences to the families and friends of those killed, as well as the wider community of Clonmel.

"The thoughts of the whole country are with them, their school and their community," Mr Varadkar said.

President Higgins said the "hearts of all parents and relatives, indeed the whole community" will have gone out to the victims' families.

He added that "the grief that has been expressed by the community is nearly unbearable".

On Sunday morning, students attended Loreto and Presentation Secondary School to mourn and pray together.

Irish Education Minister Norma Foley has pledged "essential" support for students and staff "over the coming period".

"I'm very conscious that the class of 2023 have technically moved on from the school but it is so important that they would know that the school continues to be there for them... the supports will be ongoing as they're required."