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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Darragh Berry

McGinley children funeral: 'Mass of Angels' to be held as details released following tragic deaths of Conor, Darragh and Carla at Newcastle home, Dublin

'A mass of the Angels' will be held on Friday morning for Conor, 9 Darragh, 7 and Carla McGinley, 3, who were found dead in their Dublin home on Friday night.

Funeral details for the three children - whose bodies were discovered in the Newcastle house last week - have been released just hours after their mother, Deirdre Morley, was charged with their murder.

A notice on RIP.ie reads: "McGINLEY  Conor, Darragh and Carla (Newcastle, Co. Dublin) January 24th 2020 (tragically) cherished children of Andrew and Deirdre. Sorrowfully missed by everyone.

"A Mass of the Angels will be held in the Church of The Holy Family, Rathcoole on Friday morning at 11am followed by burial in Newcastle Cemetery.

"Family flowers only, please. Donations, if desired, to the Rathcoole Boys Football Club, Scoil Chrónáin, Rathcoole or Happy Feet Early Learning Centre, Rathcoole."

Just days after the tragic deaths, heartbroken dad Andrew McGinley invited Dublin Live into his home where he promised to “battle every day” to keep their memory alive.

He told us: “I want people to see this letter, so they know that these words come from my heart.”

On a company notepaper, he wrote: “To all parents, cuddle your children whenever you get a chance, tell them how much you love them as often as you can, spend every spare minute with them reading, playing and enjoying their wonderfulness.”

He also released a new family portrait – a beaming image of him with his only daughter on his lap and his smiling boys.

In the handwritten note he gave to us, he told how his children had “beautiful futures” ahead of them – but now the future had become “our enemy”.

He said: “Every breath is a struggle.”

Deirdre Morley (left) has been charged with the murder of her children Conor, 9, Darragh, 7 and little sister Carla McGinley, 3 pictured here with their father Andrew (Andrew McGinley via Garda Press Office)

Despite being immersed in his own heartbreak, he reached out to every parent in Ireland and urged them to never take a moment with their children for granted.

He added: “There are no words. There is only devastation, grief and anguish.

“Conor, Darragh and Carla are adored. They all had beautiful, bright futures ahead of them with family, friends and a community who love them. The future has now become our enemy but we will battle it every day to keep the memory of Conor, Darragh and Carla alive.”

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