After a special funeral Mass in St Aengus's Church near their home in Burt, Co Donegal, Ciara Dunne and her daughters Léan (5) and Shania (3) will be buried today. Paddy Clancyreports.
They made their last journey home yesterday in three coffins carried in two hearses from Co Wexford.
Several hundred people followed the hearses in silence to the home of Ciara's parents PJ and Marian O'Brien.
Two hearses inched slowly up the driveway to the house about 300m off the main Derry-Letterkenny road. Ciara's remains were in a light oak coffin in the lead hearse.
Léan and Shania were in tiny white caskets side-by-side in the second hearse. As mourners prepared to remove them and carry them into the house there was a brief pause as Mrs O'Brien stood between the two hearses with her hand on the side of the vehicle carrying her daughter.
Several people brushed back tears as her husband PJ moved towards her and placed an arm around her waist in comfort.
Holy water was sprinkled on the coffins as they were carried into the house for a wake that lasted through last night.
For some 15 minutes the family and close relatives prayed and comforted each other in the house as neighbours and friends respectfully remained at a distance. Then a trickle of callers started. It became a steady stream as mourners from surrounding towns and villages arrived to grieve with the stricken family.
A Wexford undertaker carried the remains as far as Ardee, Co Louth, where they were transferred to vehicles operated by Inishowen Funeral Services for the remainder of the journey.
One mourner who had waited an hour for the cortege to arrive in Burt said: "It must be the saddest sight in a long time in this area . . . what an awful tragedy this is. The hearts of everybody goes out to PJ and Marian and the rest of their family."
Burt parish priest Fr Neil McGoldrick said: "The prayers of everybody are with the family."
Fr McGoldrick said initial reports that the burials were scheduled for tomorrow may have been based on tentative backup funeral arrangements.
He said Sunday was considered but only if there was any unforeseen event that delayed the bodies arriving home until late last night.
He explained: "Once it was realised they would be arriving in the afternoon the family expressed a wish for the burials on Saturday."
He added that he was unaware of any arrangement to delay the funerals so members of Adrian Dunne's family could make their way to Donegal after his funeral today.
Local curate Fr Michael Porter will officiate at the funeral Mass for Ciara and her children.