THE funeral was held today, Thursday, for a former music teacher, who gardaí suspect was seriously assaulted hours before her death.
Louise Muckell, aged in her 50s, from Rathkeale, Co Limerick, was remembered by her loving family at a funeral mass held at St Mary’s Church, in the West Limerick town.
A large crowd paid their respects to the accomplished singer and pianist who received training under the late Dublin soprano and opera star Veronica Dunne.
Floral tributes from family members, including a wreath that spelled out ‘Aunt’, accompanied her coffin as it was driven from the church by a black hearse to an undisclosed location for a private burial.
The mass heard that Ms Muckell is survived by her heartbroken family, including her sister, brothers, nephews, nieces, and siblings in law.
Family members had requested that any donations from mourners would be made to the Deel Animal Rescue “because of her love of animals”.
Gardaí appealed for information after Ms Muckell was found with “serious injuries” at her home in the Cois Deel estate, Rathkeale, at around 8.30pm on Tuesday, July 19, and she died at University Hospital Limerick on July 20.
A postmortem was performed by the State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster, however gardaí have not released the results of the autopsy.
Gardaí said they responded to an incident “that occurred in the Windmill Street area of Limerick earlier on the evening of Tuesday July 19” and that their “enquiries suggest that the deceased may have frequented a residence on Windmill Street in the day or days prior to her discovery with serious injuries on July 19”.
Ms Muckell previously taught music at the former Sisters of Mercy Convent secondary school in Rathkeale and led a local youth choir in Community Games competitions.
Gardaí suspect that persons known to Ms Muckell have vital information about her final movements.
Investigators suspect she was driven 30km from her Rathkeale home to Limerick city, where she was assaulted in the Windmill Street area before she was driven back to her home having sustained serious injuries.
Gardaí are also examining hours of video footage from CCTV cameras in Rathkeale and Limerick city to try to piece together Ms Muckell’s last movements, and to see if she was in the company of others at these critical times.
Gardaí have said they particularly want to speak to any persons “who were in the Windmill Street area of Limerick City or the Cois Deel area of Rathkeale between Sunday, July 17, and Tuesday, July 19, who observed any activity which drew their attention”.
Gardaí have also asked that people with “camera footage (including dash-cam and CCTV) of either area between these dates, to make this footage available”.
