It was very hard to come to terms with the "appallingly brutal act" which ended the life of Tallaght woman Mrs Joan Casey at the weekend, Father Ben Hegarty told mourners at her removal last night.
Hundreds gathered at St Dominic's Church in Tallaght, Dublin, for the removal of the 64-year-old mother of five who was murdered at her home in the Avonbeg area of Tallaght, on Saturday.
Mrs Casey was a "kindly loving and peaceful lady" who "served us all through prayer and action", Father Hegarty told the congregation in the church where she had attended daily Mass. "It is very hard to come to terms with the appallingly brutal act that swept away such an inoffensive soul."
Mrs Casey had strong links with the community, Father Hegarty said, and she had lived her life in a quiet area, unaccustomed to violence.
"What happened a few days ago is still a bit unreal. We are a peaceful community, the parish has matured and settled down. There is a rainbow mix of ages here that marks an established neighbourhood, violence is not our scene."
Mrs Casey was shot dead by men who broke into her home at Avonbeg Park in the early hours of Saturday morning. Her husband, Dominic, and her brother were in the house at the time but were not injured. Gardaí believe Mrs Casey was not the intended victim of the attack.
There was a strong Garda presence at St Dominic's Church last night, with two uniformed gardaí and a number of plain clothes officers from Tallaght Garda station.
Two motorcycle gardaí escorted Mrs Casey's hearse to the church. Her husband and two sons, Gerard and Dominic, helped to carry her coffin. Mrs Casey's daughters, Teresa, Martina and Marie also attended the service.
The family has requested a private burial today following noon Mass.
Detectives investigating the murder are hopeful Mrs Casey's killers can be identified through forensic evidence gathered at the scene.
Two pairs of gloves which were dumped by the killers near the house have been recovered and further evidence has been gathered by technical and forensic experts
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda station at (01) 666 6056.
