Donegal mother and daughter laid to rest
There were poignant scenes today as final respects were paid to mother and daughter Caitriona and Caitlin Innes found dead in tragic circumstances in their home.
In a moving two-hour funeral service in the seaside town of Bundoran, Co Donegal, the Innes family and friends gathered to pray, and bid a last farewell.
And as mourners packed into the Church of the Immaculate Conception local schoolchildren formed a guard of honour.
Caitriona and seven-year-old Caitlin were found dead in their rented home in Letterkenny in the north of the county on Tuesday, days after the little schoolgirl made her First Communion.
It is believed the troubled 26-year-old single mother suffocated her little daughter before taking her own life late on Sunday.
Originally from Bundoran she had been living in Letterkenny for several years.
The remains were brought to her home town yesterday and waked in the family home in Tullaghan a few miles over the border in Co Leitrim before being brought to the church this morning.
Scores of mourners gathered at the church for the service, many waiting at the doors of the packed church.
Local schoolchildren formed a guard of honour on the slope at the front of the church as the coffins were carried out.
Heavy showers and strong winds swept in from the Atlantic as the normally bustling town came to a virtual standstill as the Innes family and friends gathered at the church.
The pair were buried in nearby St Ninnidh’s Cemetery overlooking the town.
Roisin Ui Fhearraigh, principal of Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal in Letterkenny where young Caitlin went to school, attended the funeral.
Appeals have been made for the family to be allowed to grieve in privacy.
Fears for the pair’s welfare were raised when Caitriona did not go to work this week. Little Caitlin did not attend school either.
A colleague raised the alarm on Tuesday and gardaí made the grim discovery when they broke into the house at around 3pm.
It is understood Ms Innes, a native of Bundoran, was found downstairs while Caitlin was discovered lying in an upstairs room.
Post mortem exams were carried out in Letterkenny General Hospital by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis but police have not released full details for operational reasons.
Detectives said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.
