Maguiresbridge falls silent as community strength shines through in memory of ‘beautiful’ family

A sea of GAA jerseys filled the village, from local clubs as well as Co Clare, as members walked in crowds towards the service as tears flowed

A dark cloud descended across the quiet, rural village of Maguiresbridge as the community gathered from far and wide to remember Vanessa Whyte and her children, James and Sara.

The highly-respected mum and her teenage children were killed last Wednesday morning in a shooting incident at their home on Drummeer Road. The incident was being treated as a murder-suicide by police, with suspect Ian Rutledge dying in hospital on Monday.

Today, the community gathered for a Service of Removal in local church, St Mary’s, before Vanessa and her children travel to her hometown in Co Clare for their funeral, which will be held on Saturday.

READ MORE: Maguiresbridge victims “lives taken in such an unspeakable way” Priest tells mournersREAD MORE: Mourners gather in Maguiresbridge as service held for mum and two children killed in shooting

There was a heavy atmosphere as hundreds of mourners, many dressed in ‘bright and cheerful colours’ as requested by the family, gathered in the small village from early on Wednesday morning. Cars lined surrounding roads and members of Lisbellaw and Maguiresbridge GAA solemnly lining Boyhill Road towards the Church.

A sea of GAA jerseys filled the village, from local clubs as well as Co Clare, as members walked in crowds towards the service. Tearful families and friends sadly greeted each other as they moved towards the service.

When the three coffins arrived, a silence fell over the village, as members of the community and the family’s loved ones paid their respects as the church bells chimed.

Throughout the service, members of local GAA clubs as well as Maguiresbridge Primary School and Enniskillen Royal Grammar School waited silently in the church grounds outside the packed service.

Father Raymond Donnelly addressed mourners in a moving homily that rang out through loudspeakers into the village. He said: “There is a heaviness in the air – a silence within our hearts – that speaks volumes. The tragedy we have endured has shaken this community, and our country, to its core. We are left shocked, grieving, heartbroken, searching for meaning: grappling with questions too deep for words.

“The loss of a Vanessa and her two beautiful children, James and Sara – lives taken in such an unspeakable way – is more than any heart should bear. A woman full of kindness and warmth, a friend to so many here. And her children, so young, so vibrant, so full of promise.

“Their laughter rang through school corridors, through playing fields, especially on the GAA pitch, where they thrived with passion and joy. That zest for life, their infectious energy, their open smiles.”

As rain began to fall at the end of the service, mourners made their way from the church as members of Lisbellaw and Maguiresbridge GAA formed a guard of honour, stretching from the church doors to the road outside. The community followed the three coffins on their final walk through the village, with hundreds lining the surrounding streets and wishing them a tearful goodbye.

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