Maguiresbridge: Murder victims will be buried together in County Clare
Prayer service held in County Clare for mother and childrenSchool to remember murdered brother and sister 'for years to come'Childminder said she loved murdered children 'like they were her own'Shooting victim was 'devoted mum to Sara and James'
Funeral arrangements for Ms Whyte and her children were announced on Monday night. In a post on social media the funeral directors said: "People attending the service of removal and funeral Mass are asked to please wear bright and cheerful colours in their memory."A service of removal will take place at St Mary's Church in Maguiresbridge at 11:00 BST on Wednesday 30 July.The funeral Mass will be held in Vanessa Whyte's home town of Barefield, County Clare on Saturday 2 August."Following Mass, Vanessa, James and Sara will be laid to rest together in Templemaley Cemetery," they said.
Emergency services were called to their home on the Drummeer Road on Wednesday morning. Two of the victims were declared dead at the scene and a third victim died later that day in hospital.Hours after the attack, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) told a news conference a man from the same household was in hospital with gunshot wounds.
The PSNI's district commander said that no arrests had been made and at that stage it was not anticipated that any would be made. On Monday, detectives investigating the shooting reiterated their appeal for "anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward". On Saturday, they issued an appeal over the movements of a silver Mercedes between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler on the day before the shootings.
Tributes to murder victims
Sara and James were both students at Enniskillen Royal Grammar School and were former pupils of Maguiresbridge Primary School in their home village.Crowds of mourners attended a vigil for the family in the primary school's grounds on Friday. Several senior politicians were present as religious representatives addressed the vigil, and a minute's silence was held as a mark of respect for the victims.
A prayer service also took place on Sunday evening at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Barefield, County Clare.During the service, the parish priest, Fr Tom Fitzpatrick, told mourners:"Let us remember Vanessa not just by the way she died, but by the life she lived, her smile, her strength, her incredible powerful love for her children. "She gave it her all to the very end.""We remember James and Sara, not just as victims of violence, but as children who played and who laughed and had their favourite stories, of course favourite foods I'm sure as well, and great dreams," he added."Dreams that will never be fulfilled, but dreams that mattered because they were theirs."If you are affected by any of the issues in this article, details of organisations that can offer help and support are available on the BBC Action Line.
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