Mourners were told yesterday that three communities had been plunged into darkness by the death of a mother of two young children.
Sylvia Roche-Kelly was found dead in a bath in a room at the Clarion Hotel, Limerick last Saturday. Gardaí believe she had been assaulted.
At her funeral Mass in Sixmilebridge, east Clare, the parish priest of Cratloe, Fr Liam Enright, said Ms Roche-Kelly's death "doesn't make any sense".
"The communities of Cratloe, Sixmilebridge and Coonagh are devastated that Sylvia should be taken from us at such a young age and in such a manner," he told the congregation.
"She went out to celebrate her 33rd birthday last Friday night and was looking forward to going for her night out as she had not been [ out] in a while," he said.
"We are shocked and saddened at the suddenness and manner of her death and if we feel like that, how does her family feel? It doesn't make sense; it doesn't seem fair. Her great life and work is cut short. We are left with a terrible sense of loss; we are plunged into darkness."
Ms Roche-Kelly operated an art gallery in Sixmilebridge and when the ceremony concluded, her husband Lorcan read a poem, For Those I Love, in her memory.
Fr Enright said the community felt "bereft, lost and disorientated".
"We mustn't judge a life by the way it ends. A tragic end doesn't negate the rest of the life. The way a person lives is more important than the way she dies.
"We must not dwell too much on the manner of Sylvia's death. It is better to give thanks to God for her life and commend her to God in death."
He added that "tragic death, which is almost always sudden, is like a blackout".
"One minute, the sun is shining. Next minute, it is dark night. Without the slightest warning or the slightest chance to prepare ourselves, we are plunged into an impenetrable darkness.
"In the space of a minute, our whole world is turned upside down. Nothing can prepare us for something like this, or save us from its devastating effects.
"Naturally, we ask why did it happen? There is a tendency to say, 'it is the will of God', " he said.
"Let us be perfectly clear, God did not want this to happen. There is only one thing to do. Just as when a blackout occurs, we rush for a light, any light, even that of a humble candle, so now, we rush to the only light that can penetrate this awful darkness, namely, the light of Christ."
Ms Roche-Kelly's remains were laid to rest at Killeen Cemetery in Sixmilebridge. She is survived by her husband and children Shane (12), and Aisling (4).
A 23-year-old man, who was arrested on Tuesday near his home in Tipperary in connection with her death, was still in Garda custody last night. His period of detention has been extended a further 12 hours.
