Two Irish relatives killed in the Berkeley University balcony collapse have been mourned with Catholic funeral.
Two two cousins were amongst the six Irish students killed in the incident on Tuesday.
The balcony fell away from the fifth floor of a Berkeley apartment building during a birthday party, throwing 13 people to the street 50 feet below.
Ashley Donohoe, 22, from California, and her cousin Olivia Burke, 21, from Ireland were remembered in a Catholic Mass, according to The Daily Mail.
Over the weekend they were described as kind and fun-loving.
Wreaths of white flowers and green ribbons decorated St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cotati.
Revd Daniel Whelton led the service at the same church where Ashley was baptized: "Growing up, they would dress alike and they would try to fool their parents into thinking they were twins."
Revd Whelton said Donohoe's mother told him the two were embracing when they died: "In life they were together and in death they are together," he said.
The four other victims were mourned at a Friday night vigil in Oakland.
The bodies of four of the Irish victims were repatriated on Sunday.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
Article by Hannah Tooley
Hannah Tooley is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
