Murder victim Danielle McLaughlin's funeral held in Donegal

Danielle was described as a 'friendly, quiet girl who loved to travel'

The funeral of the Irish woman raped and murdered in Goa last month has taken place in her native Buncrana.

Danielle McLaughlin, from County Donegal, was found dead in a field close to tourist resorts in the western state of Goa earlier this month.

A post-mortem examination concluded that brain damage and constriction of the neck caused the 28-year-old's death in Canacona.

Ms McLaughlin's remains arrived home in Donegal on Monday evening.

Ms McLaughlin's body was found in a field near one of Goa's famous beaches

Hundreds of people attended her funeral at St Mary's Church in Buncrana on Thursday.

Family and friends presented four symbols of Ms McLaughlin's life, including a guitar, a holy medallion from one of Mother Teresa's care homes in India, a family photo and a poem.

During requiem mass, Father Francis Bradley said Danielle McLaughlin had made a huge impression on people's lives.

"She was disarmingly kind and forgiving; her warm nature and open heart drew people into her ever-widening, extensive and international circle of friends," Fr Bradley said.

"A brief glance at the vast array of tender messages for Danielle's mother Andrea, her family and friends, shows the immense esteem in which she was held.

"She had a gentle but powerful way with her - for it seems that just one encounter with her was enough to change someone's life."

Danielle McLaughlin had travelled to India in February on a British passport.

The former Liverpool John Moores University student had been staying in a beach hut in Goa with an Australian female friend.

The pair had been celebrating Holi, a Hindu spring festival, in a nearby village.

She left the village late at night and her body was found the next day, unclothed, with injuries to her head and face, police said.

A 24-year-old man, whose name has been reported as Vikat Bhagat, appeared in court two weeks ago charged with murder, and will also face rape charges.