Murdered mother and children ‘together and finally safe'

Independent

02-08-2025

A murdered mother and her children are 'together and finally safe', their funeral has heard.
Crowds flooded into the Co Clare village of Barefield for the funeral of Vanessa Whyte, 45, and her children James Rutledge, 14, and Sara Rutledge, 13, who died in a shooting at their home in Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh.
Many of the mourners wore GAA jerseys and bright colours as requested by the family as they lined the main street to watch the three hearses pass by.
Those in attendance at the funeral at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday included a representative for the Taoiseach Micheal Martin and GAA president Jarlath Burns.
Delivering the eulogy, Ms Whyte's sister Regina said they have been robbed of their loved ones.
'Vanessa, James and Sara were taken from this world in a cruel and vicious manner – there are no words available to express how this has impacted our family and their friends,' she said.
'We as a family have been robbed of both a relationship with our sister and a chance to see James and Sara grow up, and they have been robbed of the remainder of their lives.
'It has taken us 11 days to be in a position to have Vanessa, James and Sara back to Clare.
'This was supposed to be a joyous occasion where Vanessa would see her new nephew, and Sara and James would meet their baby cousin for the first time. Instead we are in the position of choosing coffins, final burial places and funeral hymns.
'For us as a family, the only comfort we have is that Vanessa, James and Sara are together and finally safe.
'Vanessa will have her children at either side of her forever, as they were when they were alive.'
She described her sister as 'witty, bright, kind and determined', and said James and Sara were the 'focus of her world'.
She recalled James's love of the GAA, playing both hurling and football, and also cricket, adding he has been acknowledged as the 'kind, bright, determined teenager we as a family know so well'.
'James's smile was infectious, and his loyalty was strong,' she said.
Sara was remembered as having a deep love for animals, and aspiring to follow in her mother's footsteps to become a vet, as well as loving sport.
'She was an excellent hurler, a footballer and skilled at netball. She was a team player, a quiet leader, and like every sister, never let James away with anything,' she said.
Amazing Grace and Somewhere Over The Rainbow were among the music played during the service.
Bishop Ger Nash, Bishop of Ferns and a family friend, described heartbreak over the 'tragic and unspeakable loss of three lives with so much to give to the world'.
Delivering the homily, he said every story and shared memory since their deaths 'reminds us of the irreplaceable part they played in the lives of their families, their community, their schools, workplaces, teams and clubs'.
'The tragic events of last week, and the ripping away of three people from their family and friends leave us searching for answers and coming back again and again to the only answer that is completely true: 'We don't know',' he said.
He noted messages of condolences for the mother and her children including from neighbours, but also many from those who simply described themselves as 'A Waterford Mammy', 'A Cork Granny', and 'A Wicklow Mother'.
'There were some with both dads and mams mentioned, but there were many where a woman spoke from her own heart,' he said.
'They don't know you, nor you them, but they know your story, and if they hug their teenagers more tightly and call a ceasefire in the perpetual war about tidy rooms, then they have learned that life is precious, and we must be grateful for every day given to us and to those we love.
'Over and over, I could see that women and mothers, as individuals, reached out in their shock and sadness at the loss of a mother and children, but also conscious that there were heartbroken mothers left behind.
'The messages highlighted the vulnerability of women to pain inflicted by others and were signs of solidarity in the face of that pain.'
Last week crowds also turned out for Ms Whyte, James and Sara for a service of removal in Maguiresbridge on Wednesday.
Agricultural contractor Ian Rutledge, 43, who died on Monday, is understood to be the only suspect in the shooting of his family.
Ms Whyte, James and Sara are to be buried together in Templemaley Cemetery later.