Hundreds of people last night gathered in the Co Donegal seaside town of Buncrana for a candlelit vigil in memory of Danielle McLaughlin.
The 28-year-old was murdered last week after she travelled to Goa, India. At the Amazing Grace Viewing Platform on the Fishing Green the victim's family called for justice.
Although Danielle’s mother Andrea did not attend, she issued a statement through a family friend.
The family said that the only small way in which they will find any comfort is if a full investigation into Danielle’s death is carried out.
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The spokesman also confirmed that her remains are to leave India on Wednesday.
A spokesman told mourners “We call for justice from the Indian legal system . . . words and thoughts can do little at a time like this to help us understand how such an awful tragedy can happen.”
In memoriam
Mourners were presented with memorial cards in memory of Danielle while hundreds of candles were lit in her honour.
One of Danielle’s younger sisters, Sian, said: “Danielle was one of the kindest people you could ever meet . . . no matter how far away in the world she was, we knew we were never far away in her thoughts.”
Her former school principal at Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana, Liam Rainey, described how she had enjoyed a 10-year reunion with former classmates last Christmas. "She was a great student and . . . a great person."
Christy Duffy, a friend of Danielle's who helped raise more than €40,000 through a fundraising campaign for her funeral, repatriation and legal costs, said everyone had gathered with one common goal.
“I’d just like to say it’s wonderful to have you all here . . . paying tribute to a friend, a relative, an acquaintance or maybe even to honour a stranger with whom you feel you have gotten to know from the outpouring of beautiful stories throughout this past week.”