CIT students mourn for dead couple

A day of mourning is to be held to mark the deaths of two students whose bodies were found in a house on Valentine’s night.

Wayne Roche, 20, shot his former girlfriend, 19-year-old Cliona Magner, and then turned the gun on himself, gardai said.

Cliona’s father Pat Magner found their bodies in the bedroom of a house in the student heartland of Bishopstown, Cork, just before 9pm on Friday.

It is believed that the pair, both from Fermoy and students at the Cork Institute of Technology, had recently split up.

On the day of mourning tomorrow, arrangements will be made for students at the institute to attend the funerals and no classes will take place as a mark of respect to the families.

Students’ Union president Gearoid Hogan described Friday’s events as the most tragic in the institute’s history.

“The mood today in college is very, very sad,” he said. “I came in this morning at 8.30 and students were just sitting around, basically just lost for words.

“They are shocked, and I am personally, that this has happened. It happened in the student heartland, where a lot of CIT students live.

“Students were calling me all weekend asking me is it true – is it true what we are hearing in the news?

“There is just disbelief that this has happened, it is the most horrific thing that has ever taken place in CIT’s history.”

Extra counsellors have been drafted in and a drop-in centre was set up for students to talk about the tragedy.

“We addressed their classes this morning just letting them know that there is support here for them that they need not suffer alone, that we have a support structure here in CIT,” Mr Hogan told radio.

“In the coming days and weeks the counselling services will operate a drop-in centre for them to help them get through this very tough time.”

He said both students were quite well known at the institute, but refused to comment on media reports that Cliona had recently ended the relationship.

“The only thing I know is that we have lost two CIT students in what’s been called the most tragic deaths that CIT has ever seen.”