Successful and united family who were well respected by local people

THE FAMILY: DIARMUID FLOOD (41) was well respected in the village of Clonroche, Co Wexford, as a successful businessman.

THE FAMILY:DIARMUID FLOOD (41) was well respected in the village of Clonroche, Co Wexford, as a successful businessman.

Mr Flood was described by members of the community as a "pleasant", "successful" and "friendly" man, who was devoted to his business.

He and his wife Lorraine (38) were directors of a company called Seán Flood Water Pumps Ltd, a successful small enterprise. The couple's two young children, Mark (6) and Julie (5), were frequently seen in the village.

Mr Flood came from a large and well respected GAA family with strong ties to the local Cloughbawn club and the Wexford senior hurling team. Mr Flood's uncle, Tim Flood, was a member of the successful Wexford teams of the 1950s and 1960s, while his cousin Seán Flood was on the team that won the 1996 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

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Ms Flood was described as "dedicated to her family" and "active" in the community. She was previously the winner of the "Strawberry Fair" beauty pageant held annually in nearby Enniscorthy and represented Waterford in the 1991 Rose of Tralee competition.

Ms Flood had worked in insurance before becoming a fitness instructor, while maintaining a director's role in the family business. She regularly gave yoga lessons and was a member of the local choir.

She came from a large family with strong ties to the local sporting community. Her aunts were highly regarded camogie players and her nephew, Kevin Doyle, is a professional soccer player with English Premier League team Reading and a regular on the Republic of Ireland team.

The couple were seen as very "glamorous" and were said to be "very sociable".

Local Fianna Fáil Senator Jim Walsh said the couple came from "highly-respected" families who were "very popular" in the area. "I met them out with their families a just a few weeks back and they were a very nice couple," he said.

"My thoughts are with the families at this very difficult time."

Both of the Flood children were pupils in St Aidan's National School in Clonroche.

One local woman said Mark, who was in senior infants, was "a fine young fellow" and Julie, who was in junior infants, was a "sweet little girl".