Hundreds gather at vigil for mother and children killed in Fermanagh shooting
Vanessa Whyte, 45, a vet originally from Barefield in Clare, her son James, 14, and daughter Sara, 13 died in a shooting incident earlier this week
Hundreds of people have gathered for a community vigil in memory of a Clare woman and her two teenage children who died following a shooting in County Fermanagh.
People wrapped their arms around each other as they remembered Vanessa Whyte, 45, a vet originally from Barefield, her son James, 14, and daughter Sara, 13.
A book of condolence, set up next to a framed photo of the family and surrounded by white flowers and candles, was also opened at the school.
The principal of Maguiresbridge Primary School, Honor Irvine, described both James and Sara as popular pupils who loved sport.
“I’m a teaching principal so I taught them both for two years,” she told the PA news agency.
“James was full of fun, always laughing, loved to get a laugh, loved to be outdoors.
She described their mother Vanessa, who was a member of the parents’ support group which organised fundraisers for the school, as “full of life”, and a “roll up your sleeves, get the job done” type of person.
She said the vigil, facilitated by the school, offered a place for the community to grieve together.
“It’s been lovely to hear people who knew Vanessa and knew Sara and knew James, talking about them and sharing memories,” she said.
“For the community, its a place to mourn together and to support and comfort each other.”
She said the family were “much loved” and would “live on in our memories at Maguiresbridge Primary School for many, many years to come”.
The vigil was organised by the Village Rural Development Association to give people an opportunity to “come together and support each other at this difficult time”.
“This is an opportunity for our village to stand together in the face of such grief,” it said in a statement on social media.
Flowers, teddy bears and an Arsenal football top with written notes have been laid close to scene of the incident in Drummeer Road.
A fourth person, a man who was a member of the same household, remains in a serious condition in hospital in Belfast following the incident on Wednesday.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the level of the tragedy is “overwhelming”.
“Everybody I have been speaking to finds it very hard to convey what they really feel, deep in their hearts, because there are moments in life that really do stop us in our tracks, and certainly for me, this feels like one of those moments,” she told the BBC.
“People are really stunned and tears have been shed for this beautiful family. You only have to think about Vanessa, a young mother, her two gorgeous children, a whole life ahead of them, and that has all now been cut short.
“It’s a harrowing time, obviously immediately for their family, for everybody that loved them, everybody that knew them, the community that they lived in, the wider Fermanagh community and even further than that. This has impacted so many people.”
Northern Ireland's Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir described what happened as “heartbreaking”.
“Vanessa was a highly respected vet and work colleague. The situation that has unfolded here is heartbreaking and my thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, work colleagues of Vanessa, and also James and Sara,” he told the BBC.
“It’s really difficult to comprehend to be honest.”