WHILE Karen Buckley has been laid to rest, the communities left behind in Ireland and Scotland are coming to terms with their loss - and have pledged support to Karen's family.
Yesterday’s funeral service saw hundreds file into the Church of St Michael the Archangel, Analeentha – the same church where Karen had been baptised – to pay their final respects to the tragic 24-year-old.
Among the mourners were Karen’s friends and lecturers from Glasgow Caledonian University, where she had been studying occupational therapy.
Her fellow classmates from the University of Limerick and St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow provided a guard of honour, as Karen’s father and brothers carried her coffin to her final resting place.
In the communities of Mourneabbey and Glasgow, as well as the student population of Glasgow Caledonian University – where Karen had been studying, those left behind have struggled to come to terms with what has happened.
A tight-knit community, the village of Mourneabbey has been left in shock by what has happened.
Karen Buckley's heartbroken family at her funeral service yesterday. Picture: Des Barry“It’s very sombre in Cork, there’s just a sense of disbelief that this happened,” Cork county councillor John Paul O’Shea told The Irish Post.
“Sometimes, we can find it very hard to know what to do in these situations because of what the family is going through. The community will always be there to support them though, you can be assured of that.
“When reality kicks in next week when it is all over, that Karen won’t be coming home, Mourneabbey will be there to support them.”
The church in Analeentha, where the funeral took place, has been a source of comfort for many over the last two weeks as masses and vigils took place in Karen’s memory.
Meanwhile, those in Glasgow have also been left shocked by Karen’s death.
“People will remember this case for a long time,” Susan Jack, from Glasgow Women’s Aid, told The Irish Post. “Glaswegians are very proud of our city and we are noted as very friendly, and for her to come here from another country and for this to happen to her here in our city, it has just touched so many people in Glasgow.”
One of the many vigils that took place in Glasgow for Karen Buckley.Glasgow Women’s Aid, an organisation which supports women who have been the victims of abuse or violence, has seen a surge in the numbers of calls since Karen’s death.
“We are always busy but in the last week or so, we’ve been exceptionally busy,” Ms Jack said. “Violence against women is a problem that is not going away. She was just a young girl going about her social life, it’s utterly appalling.”
Glasgow Caledonian University’s Student’s Association has opened a book of condolences, both on the campus and online, and plans to present the messages of sympathy to the Buckleys “when the dust has settled”.
Karen Buckley had been enjoying a night out with friends when she went missing in the early hours of April 12.
A huge search was launched and after four days, police discovered her body on a farm six miles north of the city.
A 21-year-old man has been charged with her murder. Alexander Pacteau appeared in Glasgow Sheriff Court for a second time last Friday, April 24.
Entering no plea to the charges of murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice, he was remanded in further custody.
No court date has been set for his next appearance.
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