Huge crowds are expected in Mallow on Monday evening for the removal of murdered Irish student Karen Buckley after her body was brought home from Scotland by her family on Sunday.
John and Marian Buckley flew to Glasgow with their sons, Brendan, Kieran and Damian to bring home the body of their only daughter following its release by Scottish authorities on Friday.
They were accompanied on the flight to Glasgow on Sunday morning by their local parish priest in Mourneabbey, Fr Joe O’Keeffe.
They returned with their daughter's body when the St Caimin, an Airbus 300 obtained from Aer Lingus by Aer Lingus Regional, touched down at Cork Airport shortly after 2.30pm.
Shortly afterwards a coffin carrying Ms Buckley's body was taken from the plane and placed aboard a silver Ford Galaxy to begin the final stage of her journey home to the family farm in Mourneabbey.
The family, who travelled in a separate vehicle, then brought her back to their farmhouse at Glynn in the North Cork parish where relatives, friends and neighbours gathered for a private rosary.
Huge crowds are expected to pay their sympathies to the family when Ms Buckley’s remains lie in repose at O’Connell’s Funeral Home in Mallow, from 4pm to 8pm this evening.
Gardaí in Mallow have put in place a traffic management plan for this evening to cater for the large crowds before Ms Buckley’s body is brought back to the church in Mourneabbey some five miles away.
A funeral Mass will be held at the Church of St Michael the Archangel, Analeentha at 2pm on Tuesday before burial at St John’s Cemetery in nearby Burnfort, also in the parish.
A traffic management plan has also been put in place by gardaí for the funeral to avoid congestion on the narrow country roads which lead to the small country church which is beside the local primary school.
The closely knit community has rallied around and parking will be provided in a number of nearby fields while community volunteers will direct traffic to ensure everyone one can attend the mass.
In a death notice posted on Friday on RIP.ie, the family detailed the funeral arrangements for their 24 year old daughter who only moved to Glasgow in January when she began studying occupational therapy.
The death notice, placed by her parents, John and Marian and brothers, Brendan, Kieran and Damien, simply records her death in Glasgow ‘unexpectedly’ before touching on their deep loss.
“Sadly missed by her heartbroken parents, brothers, grandmother, uncles, aunts, sister-in-law Niamh, cousins, relatives, neighbours and her many friends. May she rest in peace.”
