A priest has described how he visited the Dunne family on Friday evening because he was concerned for their well-being after being contacted earlier by a third party.
Fr Richard Redmond, who is from the same area of Wexford as Adrian Dunne, visited the Dunne household on Friday and spent two hours in their company, leaving at about 10.30pm.
"I had concerns from a third party and I still had concerns when I left. I also called to the house over the weekend," Fr Redmond said.
"There were some concerns passed on to us," he said, adding: "Those concerns were serious enough for me to come here to speak with them."
Fr Redmond also confirmed the gardaí "were aware of the concerns."
Sources have indicated that on Friday last, Mr Dunne contacted an undertaker requesting that funeral arrangements be made for the family.
In the conversation, Mr Dunne is said by sources to have outlined the location for the burial and other details.
One of Mr Dunne's brothers, James, had committed suicide three weeks ago and he was said to be deeply distressed by the death.
Fr Redmond confirmed that he had called on the Dunnes before Friday "as you would with any new family in the area". Priests also called to the house, but got no answer on Saturday.
One neighbour, who would only give his name as Richard, said that he saw one of the little girls buying ice-cream from a van on Sunday.
"She looked grand - I saw the girl yesterday buying ice-cream, it was about three o'clock. I saw the rest of the family on a few occasions - they were grand to talk to.
"Adrian was a nice fella - we're all really shocked, the whole place. No one would have ever thought that this could happen, it's an awful loss," he said.
Small groups of people came to the scene yesterday to offer their sympathies, but few wanted to talk to the waiting media. Supt Kevin Donohoe of the Garda Press Office said that gardaí had contacted the HSE in line with normal procedures.
"Last Friday, local gardaí became aware of concerns regarding the safety of the people in the house. They advised the HSE early on Saturday," he said.
Supt Donohoe said: "We contacted the HSE official . . . that official undertook to contact another official."
He acknowledged that "in hindsight, things might have been done differently . . . hindsight is a great thing".
Colm O'Gorman, of the One in Four group, who is running in the general election for the Progressive Democrats, said the case was horrifying.
"There is just incredible shock that something like this could have happened, particularly when children are involved," Mr O'Gorman said.
"At this early stage we still don't know what happened here, but it certainly shows the need for support for families in the area," he said.
"People are just shocked by what's happened. It's horrifying."