The funeral of Irish woman Denise Morgan, who was killed by her boyfriend in a suspected murder-suicide in New York last month, has been told the "cornerstone of our family" has been "stolen from us" and there will be "no justice for her in this world".
Parish priest Fr Sean Dooley expressed the heartbreak of the local community, as he said her violent death should force a spotlight on the "domestic violence scourge" both in Ireland and abroad.
The body of Ms Morgan was found beside the body of Joed Tavares in the Glendale area of Queens.
The funeral mass for Ms Morgan, who had a daughter from her previous marriage to Larry Zaitschek, was held in the Church of the Assumption in her home town of Tullyallen, Drogheda, Co Louth this morning.
Fr Dooley described the 39-year-old as a "lovely, bubbly, polite woman who always had time to greet another person".
He said Ms Morgan "was born to be a mum" and that her daughter Mollie "was the centre of her life".
"Even her last Facebook post was of Mollie and herself. Everything was for Mollie," Fr Dooley said.
He added that Ms Morgan was baptised and confirmed in the same church in which her funeral mass was taking place, and that while she had emigrated to the US, she continued to have a close connection to her home town.
He said she was "oozing with a love that attracted others", and that her love and interest in other people brought her to work in the hospitality sector.
Fr Dooley said the violent nature of her death last month has shocked communities on both sides of the Atlantic.
"Denise was stolen from us, her life was suddenly cut off in a brutal way and, sadly, there will be no justice for her in this world," he said.
"The precious cornerstone of our family, of our peace, has been violently shaken. But there are still deep roots attached.
"We have all wanted to help, but been unsure how to respond. We have felt too small to offer what we so deeply want for you - your comfort and your peace."
Fr Dooley continued that Ms Morgan's tragic death must "help give us as a community a better understanding of the issue of domestic violence, and to call out the domestic violence scourge".
Ms Morgan's funeral was attended by a large gathering of friends, family, loved ones and neighbours.
They included her mother Deirdre, father Noel, daughter Mollie, Mollie's father Larry, Ms Morgan's sisters Lisa and Shannon, her brother John, nieces Kayleigh and Roisin, nephew Kayden, aunts, uncles and other loved ones.
At the service, symbols of Ms Morgan's life were also presented to the church.
They included a picture she drew, a video game, a vape that Fr Dooley said she "always had with her", a pair of boots, red lip stick, a top "she tried to steal from her sister", a workout DVD, crystals and, poignantly, a picture of Mollie with their dog.
