The plane carrying four of the victims of the Berkeley tragedy and their families arrived in Dublin airport on Sunday morning.
The Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan met with the families of Eoghan Culligan, Lorcán Miller, Niccolai Schuster and Eimear Walsh as they arrived back in Ireland from California.
Three of the coffins were led out of Dublin airport by Garda escort, while the body of Niccolai Schuster was led out afterwards in order to allow his family time alone with him, as his parents had not flown over to the US.
The families have appealed for privacy during this difficult time, but they have also expressed their appreciation for the support and sympathy they have received from people in Ireland and America - including the community in Berkeley and the medical and emergency service staff.
Garda escort at Dublin Airport this morning, for the hearses of the victims of the Berkely tragedy. pic.twitter.com/TS4m8EFGAN
— Caoimhseach Connolly (@caoimhseach) June 21, 2015
Six students died after a balcony collapsed at an apartment block in the Californian city. Two people remain in critical condition in hospital.
A mass for two of the victims, Olivia Burke and her Irish-American cousin Ashley Donohoe, was held in California yesterday.
Olivia's body is due to arrive home in the coming days.
Yesterday evening, a special memorial service was also held at the Pro Cathedral in Dublin. These people explained why they attended the service:
Meanwhile, the families of those who died have asked for privacy.
In a statement issued last night through the Irish Consulate in San Francisco, the families of Eoghan Culligan, Lorcán Miller, Niccolai Schuster and Eimear Walsh have thanked everyone in America and Ireland for their sympathy and support.
They also said they are proud of the students that were in the apartment that night.
However they have asked for privacy so that they can mourn their sons and daughters with the dignity they deserve.
In the statement, the families write, "particularly we thank the local authorities, emergency services, medical staff, parishes and communities of Berkeley. In addition we are forever grateful to the Irish Consul, Philip Grant, and his local team, and also the amazing service and support received from Aer Lingus, the Department of Foreign Affairs, US Ambassador Anne Anderson, and a special appreciation to Minister Deenihan.
"We cannot thank enough the students that were in the apartment and apartment complex that night. The manner and speed at which they reached out to our families, to our Consul, and to each other was faultless. Our children were extraordinarily blessed in their friends and we are enormously proud of them," they add.
