Hundreds of people have attended a vigil to remember the three members of the same family who died in a road crash in Cashel, Co Tipperary on Tuesday.
Thomas O'Reilly, his wife Bridget and their three-year-old grandson Tom O'Reilly were rear-seat passengers in a car that hit a wall in the Windmill Knockbulloge area.
Their son, Tom Jnr, and his wife Diane, were both injured and remain in hospital.
The vigil of song and prayer was organised by local churches and the three schools where many of Thomas and Bridget O'Reilly's ten children attended.
Several members of the family were among those who gathered at St John the Baptist Church in Cashel.
A book of condolence has been opened in the local library for people to sign and express their sympathy and support.
Librarian Maura Barrett, who attended the vigil to express solidarity, said the tragedy had reverbertated across the town and county.
"There are no words of comfort," she said, "we can only offer our support".
President Michael D Higgins met Ellen Harty, sister of Thomas O'Reilly, this afternoon - as well as Nuala Martin and Mags Casey of Tipperary Rural Traveller Community - to express his condolences following the deaths.
Earlier, Parish Priest Fr Enda Brady said: "There's so much grief and emotion at this time" and the service expressed the town's "solidarity with the O'Reilly family" and "to pray for those who are injured at this time".
"I think it's important that we can all express ourselves at an awful time like this."
Fr Brady told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that the community in Cashel welcomed the vigil.
"I know the people of the town, they were so delighted to hear that this vigil was on today, that they have some opportunity to express their grief and their sympathy to the O'Reilly family.
"The people of this town are good people. I know they'd be there for everybody in the town."
He said it will take the family "a long time" to process what happened and "all that people can do is be there for them".
"I would say that they're still in an awful lot of shock. They just don't know how to express themselves or to cope with their grief at this stage," he added.
Fr Brady was joined at the vigil by Church of Ireland Dean of Cashel, Rev James Mulhall.
It was confirmed this evening that a funeral mass will be held for Thomas, Bridget, and Tom at 2pm on Sunday at St John the Baptist Church in Cashel. They will be buried afterwards in St Cormac's Cemetery in Cashel.
Their bodies will repose in Halla na Féile in Cashel from 5pm to 7pm on Saturday evening, followed by removal to the church, ahead of Sunday afternoon's funeral mass.
Garda Superintendent Kieran Ruane said yesterday that the local community is "shocked and deeply saddened".
The O'Reilly family "is devastated by this terrible incident," he added.
Supt Ruane said: "I assured the family and I want to assure the community that local gardaí here in south Tipperary are here to support them and the community, as we all come to terms with this tragedy over the coming days, weeks and months".
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Separately, the first of the funerals of four young people who were killed in a car crash in Clonmel last Friday has taken place.
Luke McSweeney, 24, and his 18-year-old sister Grace McSweeney, along with Zoey Coffey and Nicole Murphy, both also 18, died in a crash, hours after the teenagers received their Leaving Certificate exam results.
They were on their way to celebrate when the car they were travelling in overturned and hit a stone wall.
The four young people were also remembered at the vigil in Cashel today.
The funeral mass for Nicole was held at St John the Baptist Church in her native Kilcash.
Five people have died on Irish roads this week, including a three-year-old girl in Co Laois yesterday.
