‘They looked so peaceful’

Prior to the funeral of the twins last May, David Coughlan, a close friend who was with their mother when the bodies were discovered, said: “It was an absolute shock.

They both looked so peaceful. It was just bizarre.

“They were lying on the ground next to the CD player. They were like brothers to me. They were always good fun, always smiling, never depressed. They were just salt of the earth guys.”

A Newcastle United jersey, a CD, and a wood carving were placed beside the twins’ coffins as symbols of their love and passion for sport, music, and art and crafts.

Greg Moran, father of twins Peter and Kevin, told mourners at the Mass: “If I have one consolation from this whole situation it is that they lived their lives as one unit. They came into this world on their own and they departed it at the same time.

“I firmly know that if the situation had arisen where one had to live without the other, that person would not be able to survive they were so close.

“On many occasions I had tremendous times with them, particularly with the football — we had contradictory opinions as regards football but that didn’t matter. Everybody that met them thought they were the nicest guys they ever met.”