Danielle, found dead near Palolem beach in Goa, laid to rest in Ireland

Danielle McLaughlin, who was found dead near the Palolem beach in Goa on March 14, was laid to rest at a funeral in her hometown of Buncrana, County Donegal, in Ireland, on Thursday. Hundreds of locals and friends paid tributes to her at the funeral.

A post-mortem had concluded that McLaughlin, 28, died due to brain damage and constriction of the neck. Her body arrived in Ireland from Goa on Monday. A person named by the Goa police as Vikat Bhagat, 24, has reportedly been charged for murder.

Reports from Ireland said that at the funeral in the St Mary’s Church, family and friends presented four symbols of her life, including a guitar, a holy medallion from one of Mother Teresa's care homes in India, a family photo and a poem.

Father Francis Bradley said at the requiem mass that McLaughlin had made a huge impression on people's lives: “She was disarmingly kind and forgiving; her warm nature and open heart drew people into her ever-widening, extensive and international circle of friends".

"A brief glance at the vast array of tender messages for Danielle's mother Andrea, her family and friends, shows the immense esteem in which she was held. She had a gentle but powerful way with her -- for it seems that just one encounter with her was enough to change someone's life."

A former student of Liverpool John Moores University, McLaughlin was a dual citizen of Ireland and the United Kingdom. She travelled to India in February on a British passport. The funeral was attended by her friends from New Zealand, Australia, Scotland and England, the reports said.

The McLaughlin family has called for justice for their daughter and sister. A crowd-funding campaign to raise 10,000 Euros to meet the expenses for repatriation of the body from Goa and funeral expenses raised over 40,300 Euros.

A family spokesperson said: “We call for justice from the Indian legal system and appeal to the Indian authorities for a full, diligent, transparent and open investigation into all aspects of this crime and have real faith that with their help, full justice will be served and the truth known which will provide some small comfort to the family.”

“Words and thoughts can do little at a time like this to help us understand how such an awful tragedy can happen and especially to someone so full of life and love as Danielle.”

Memorial cards distributed at last week’s vigil in Buncrana had smiling pictures of McLaughlin with some of her last words on her Facebook account: “I am very grateful and the luckiest person I know....off on another adventure.”

Goa is one of the most popular destinations of British and western tourists.Britain’s foreign office has a separate section on its India travel advice on Goa.