“There is an outpouring of love and helplessness,” said Mourneabbey-born Fr Seán Corkery as he tried to sum up the feelings of a small tight-knit community experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions as news filtered back from Glasgow that police had officially identified Karen Buckley’s body.

While the sun shone brightly on a rural community in Co Cork, there was a cloud of anxiety hanging over locals yesterday as they tuned into news bulletins in the hope missing Karen Buckley would be found safe and well many miles away in Glasgow.