Around 650 people, including young families, children and babies attended a prayer service in Newcastle West this afternoon to pay their respects to the two women and two children whose bodies were discovered in the West Limerick town on Tuesday.
The candlelit prayer service in the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Newcastle West paid tribute to 25-year-old Sarah Hines, her two children, three-year-old Reece and five-month-old Amy, and their mother's friend, Alicia Brough from Rockchapel, Co Cork.
Among those present were members of the Hines family including her step father Peter Rolfe.
A hymn, entitled The Voice of an Angel as sang by Máire Nolan echoed the words of the parish priest of Newcastle West, Canon Frank Duhig who described the two children who lost their lives as "two little angels" and spoke of the shock which this tragic event had brought to the local community.
"When the news of this great tragedy broke on Tuesday afternoon great fear struck Newcastle West and the surrounding parishes. There was a sense of bewilderment, shock, helplessness, deep, deep sadness," he said.
"People are dumbfounded, full of doubts, full of questions, some spoken, some unspoken. What's gone wrong? Where are we going? What is the world coming to?"
Candles were lit for each of the victims. A fifth was lit to remember the Butler family in Ballycotton where two young children and their father were also found dead on Monday.
"It's always hard to accept the death of young people and all the people we're remembering this evening were very young," he said.
"The two little angels didn't get much time to show their love. I've no doubt that Reece showed a lot of it in his few years and little Amy, not even able to speak, perhaps she spread more love than any. I have no doubt that Sarah and Alicia loved greatly during their lives."
"We pray this afternoon that those two little children and those two young girls are already safe in the arms of Jesus where they will be forever young."
The prayers of the faithful remembered the gardaí and the State pathologist for the "difficult but important work" who went about it painstakingly and with great sensitivity towards everyone involved.
They also prayed for the 31-year-old man who remains in custody on suspicion of the murders and for his family.
Following the prayer service school friends of Ms Hines described their shock and despair. One, Amanda Dillon from Newcastle West described Ms Hines as a "bubbly" individual who had loads of friends in St Joseph's secondary school in Abbeyfeale after her family moved her from England.
Others who didn't know her came to pay their respects. "We're devastated by the tragedy really," Willie O'Regan from Ardagh said.
"People are very upset. We just can't fathom it, we can't understand it really. I have grandchildren myself...how can you kill a little boy, a little girl of five months. How could anyone do that?"
Neighbours of Ms Hines Cecilia and Jasper Shier, who live a few doors away from where the four victims' bodies were found, have been living in the area for the past 11 years.
"People can't believe it," Mr Shier said. "As I said to the gardaí if any of us could put it back to its original state we would do it. You can't get it out of your mind. It comes back to your mind every so often."
"You just can't take it in what has happened in truth – if it was one – but four; four bodies taken out of that house," Mrs Shier said although her husband added that this was a "one in a million" incident and would not put them off living in the neighbourhood.
Although many shopkeepers were unwilling to speak about the tragedy, those who did spoke of the deep shock in the local community.
Mossie Moriarty who works in Horan's fruit and veg shop said people didn't know what to make of the tragic events of the past few days.
"All I can say is that people are definitely deeply in shock. They don't know what, why or what to make of it. Newcastle West is a great town and it's being pictured in a bad light now. It's hard enough for people to get on with their lives in the tough times we are in without it being painted in that light."