Thousands of people attended vigils across the island of Ireland on Friday in memory of murdered teacher Ashling Murphy.
The 23-year-old was killed on the banks of the Grand Canal outside Tullamore, County Offaly, on Wednesday.
Her family attended a candlelit vigil near the murder scene. The Irish Independent reported that her father paid a poignant tribute to the talented young musician, by performing her favourite song.
Ray Murphy reportedly broke down in tears while playing the final chords of “When You Were Sweet Sixteen”.
The Murphy family were said to be “appreciative and overwhelmed by the national outpouring of support show to them,” according to a statement from Gardaí (Irish police).
It said that the family had requested “privacy, space and time to process Ashling’s death”.
The statement added that “significant progress” has been made in the murder investigation to date but the force said it was “not confirming any specific details for operational reasons”. -BBC