The mother of a brother and sister killed in a road crash in Co Tipperary has urged people to make the world a better place in their memory.
Grace McSweeney, 18, and Luke McSweeney, 24, were among four young people who died in the tragedy in Clonmel last Friday.
The town came to a standstill with hundreds standing in silence as the cortège made its way from Mountain Road in Clonmel towards the quays, onto Wolfe Tone Street and then onto Gladstone Street, before finishing its journey at St Peter and Paul's Church.
Many friends and former schoolmates from the Presentation Secondary School formed guards of honour, along with others from the CS High School in Clonmel where Luke was a past pupil, and other schools and local sports club.
Mourners were led by Grace and Luke's parents, Brigid and Paul, and brothers David and Mark.
Brigid McSweeney addressed the funeral towards the end of the service, telling mourners that she and her husband Paul were honoured to be the parents of Luke and Grace.
She said her gratitude outweighs her sorrow.
"I feel compelled to come before you all here today to let you know the messages you sent from near and far were heard, the compassion shown to us was overwhelming," she told mourners.
"I find myself not able to find the words because thank you feels inadequate.
"On behalf of Paul, Mark, David and myself, we will be forever in awe of our emergency services, the gardai, fire brigade, ambulance, hospital staff, your heroic effort last Friday night when we lost Luke, Grace, Zoey and Nicole, four extraordinary young people.
"The help and support that we have received from families, friends, neighbours, school, clubs, shops and businesses of our town, the people of Clonmel, our communities and far beyond is truly phenomenal. We are all strong now because of you.
"Paul and myself were honoured to be the parents of Luke and Grace, and blessed to have them for so long."
She described her daughter as "gentle and very shy", and her son Luke "strong in body and mind", and who wanted to make a difference in the world.
"He wanted to make it a better place," she said.
"Luke and Grace had wonderful friends and I thank them all for making Grace and Luke's lives so fulfilled and wonderful because they were the happiest they could have ever been.
"Luke strived to be the best version of himself and he encouraged everybody to do the same. Luke's code, eat well, stay fit and have faith.
"Leave your sorrow behind here today, and make the world a better place."
Mourners were joined by President Michael D Higgins, Minister for Education Norma Foley, the Taoiseach's aide-de-camp Commandant Claire Mortimer, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan and Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Richie Molloy.
Deputy principal of the Presentation Secondary School, Róisín Hennessy, said that they had been honoured to have Grace as a pupil over the last six years and reflected on the 18-year-old's talents as a student, a gymnast and a coach, as well as someone loved by family and friends.
"When Paul and Bridget chose a name for their daughter, they couldn't have picked a more appropriate one," Ms Hennessy said.
A number of Luke's friends also paid tributes to the 24-year-old, with Kevin Grace remarking on his "positive outlook on life" and his ability to get on with people, wherever he went.
A clip from Luke's sporting hero, Conor McGregor, was played out in the church in which the former UFC champion expressed his sympathies to Luke's family and friends.
Chief celebrant was Fr Billy Meehan, who baptised Grace and Luke and also officiated at the wedding of their parents.
Fr Meehan is also chaplain to Presentation Secondary School, where Grace completed the Leaving Cert earlier this year and received her results last Friday.
She was with friends Nicole Murphy and Zoey Coffey, along with her brother Luke, last Friday night when the car they were travelling in crashed on the Mountain Road in Clonmel, killing all four.
They had been travelling to meet friends in the town before a planned results celebration event.
In his homily, Fr Meehan, said: "The whole town and the whole country are united in grief and solidarity since word spread at the weekend.
"A cloud hangs over our town, yet the support and presence of so many people is a great comfort to the family."
He described Luke and Grace as "angels of peace to us all" who leave a great legacy.
Local schools have closed for the day while the funeral takes place, as have several businesses in the town.
Grace and Luke were buried in St Patrick's Cemetery on the edge of Clonmel.
Nicole was buried yesterday in Kilcash in south Tipperary following a funeral mass. Zoey's funeral will be held tomorrow.
