The funeral has taken place in Cootehill, Co Cavan, of Patricia McDonald (21), one of two Irish students who died recently in a house fire in France.
Patricia's parents and family were joined by students from St Aidan's comprehensive school in Cootehill and civic and community representatives in paying their final poignant tributes.
Patricia and her friend, Carol Nolan (20), from Walkinstown, Dublin, died in a fire at their rented cottage in Larmor Plage near Lorient in northwest Brittany on January 6th. They were third-year students in European studies at the Institute of Technology in Tallaght and were attending the University of Southern Brittany on a one-year Erasmus student exchange programme.
Several hundred people attended yesterday's Requiem Mass at St Michael's Church. Her parents Thomas and Theresa, her sister Joanne (19) and brother James (16), led the mourners.
Minister of State for Agriculture Brendan Smith led a huge attendance of public representatives, which included the mayor of Cootehill, Aidan Boyle. Also represented was Tallaght IT and the French seaport city of Lorient.
The chief concelebrant was her cousin, Fr Éamon Clarke, assisted by parish priest Fr Owen Collins. Fr Collins described the deaths of the two young students as a terrible blow which united the community and the country in grief. He told the mourners that President Mary McAleese had sent a message of sympathy.
Patricia was buried in the tiny hillside cemetery at Middle Chapel, about two miles from Cootehill, with red and yellow roses placed on her coffin.
The funeral of Carol Nolan takes place in Dublin today.