Funeral of Donegal hit-and-run victim Laura Connolly takes place

The border town of Lifford in Co Donegal came to a standstill on Thursday for the funeral of hit-and-run victim Laura Connolly.

The 34-year-old mother-of-one was killed in the early hours of Sunday morning last as she returned from a night out with friends.

Hundreds of people gathered outside Ms Connolly’s home at Croaghan Heights and walked with the funeral cortege to St Patrick’s Church in Murlog.

Among the mourners was Ms Connolly’s fiancée Joe McCullagh and the couple’s teenage son Jamie.

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Her mother and father, Rosemary and Jimmy, and other family members were also present in the church as Fr Colm O’Doherty recalled the “terrible tragedy” that had happened early last Sunday morning.

“The news brought disbelief, shock, despair, anger, awful grief, terrible sadness and a real sense of bewilderment not just throughout the community at large but especially to her loving family for whom these past few days must have seemed like an unreal nightmare,” said Fr O’Doherty

He said there have been many lighter moments in the dark recent days as friends and family told stories of the fun-loving and bubbly girl that Laura was and her “zest for life.”