Thousands attend funerals of Berkeley balcony collapse victims in Ireland
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Version 0 of 1. Ireland has been described as “united in grief” following the burials of two of the Irish students killed when a balcony collapsed in Berkeley, California, last week. Father Paul Ward, a curate at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, told about 700 mourners at the funeral of Eimear Walsh, 21, in Foxrock, Dublin, that she came from a “family who are most considerate and caring”. He said: “They constantly look outwards to their neighbours and to the community. Their home is one of genuine hospitality. Related: Berkeley student deaths: city attempts to piece together why balcony collapsed “Many words have been written over the past week. Ireland has been united in grief and has reflected on the loss of our group of young talented people who represented abroad all that is good about us.” More than 1,000 people attended the funeral of Eoghan Culligan, 21, in Rathfarnham, Dublin, which also took place on Tuesday. The three other Irish students who died when the balcony they were standing on gave way at the University of California last Tuesday - Niccolai Schuster, 21, Olivia Burke, 21, and Lorcán Miller, 21 - will be buried later this week. A joint funeral service was held in Sonoma, California, on Saturday for cousins Ashley Donohoe, 22, an Irish-American citizen who also died, and Burke, from Dublin, whose body was flown back to Ireland on Sunday. Five students injured in the incident – Jack Halpin, Conor Flynn, Niall Murray, Clodagh Cogley, Aoife Beary and Hannah Waters, all 21 – remain in hospital. |