Friends and family gather in Co Fermanagh to remember mum "full of kindness" and "vibrant" kids

Vanessa, 45, a veterinarian, was killed along with her son James Rutledge, 14, and daughter Sara Rutledge, 13, in a gun attack at their home in Maguiresbridge, Co. Fermanagh.

Mourners and locals in Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh, gathered to pay their respects with Father Raymond Donnelly telling the congregation: "The loss of Vanessa and her two beautiful children, James and Sara- lives taken in such an unspeakable way- is more than any heart should bear."

According to MailOnline, Vanessa was described as a "woman full of kindness and warmth, a friend to so many here. And her children, so young, so vibrant, so full of promise."

Her children were also remembered warmly, with Father Donnelly saying: "Their laughter rang through school corridors, through playing fields, especially on the GAA pitch, where they thrived with passion and joy."

He added that they had a "zest for life, their infectious energy, their open smiles."

 Unable to answer why this happened, he advised people to turn to the word of God for guidance and acknowledged that the community, and the country, had been shaken to its core.

During the week, school principal Honor Irvine described James and Sara as popular pupils who loved sport.

"I taught them both for two years," she told PA news agency. "James was full of fun, always laughing, loved to get a laugh, and loved to be outdoors.

"Sara was the same. Sara loved the outdoors, bit of a tomboy, and the two of them got on very well, [had] lots of friends and were very popular in school."

Trying to give some comfort to those grieving, Father Donnelly said: "We hold you in prayer and embrace. We do not have answers, but we offer presence. We offer prayer. We offer love."

The funeral of Vanessa, Sara, and James will take place Saturday, August 2, in Barefield, Co Clare, and the three of them will be buried together in Templemaley Cemetery.

Vanessa's husband and the children's father, agricultural contractor Ian Rutledge, was found with serious gunshot wounds at the scene of the incident and later died in the hospital. Police believe the act was an attempted murder-suicide.

* This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.