Gardaí release bodies of Carlow brothers

The bodies of five-year-old Ruairi and 10-year-old Eoghan are being returned home to Ballinkillen near Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, for their funerals in the coming days.

Gardaí in Westport are continuing to question their father Sanjeev Chada, aged 43, after he was arrested this afternoon following his release from hospital in Castlebar.

The bodies of the Carlow brothers were discovered in the boot of their father's car on Monday.

Counselling is being provided to their school friends who are all devastated.

As detectives quiz Mr Chada, the boys' heartbroken mother Kathleen, a nurse who is originally from the area, is being comforted by friends and relatives, including her parents, Willie and Patsy Murphy.

Ballinkillen parish priest Father Declan Foley visited the family home earlier today, where it is understood funeral preparations are under way.

He said: “The funeral will be in Ballinkillen of course, but we won’t know when until the relevant authorities release the boys to their mother.”

The children have been remembered as two beautiful, popular little boys who had a great sense of fun and humour and loved sports.

Post-mortem examinations were carried out on their bodies at Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar, yesterday but gardai said the official results would not be released due to operational reasons .

Mr Chada was last seen with the children at 6.30pm on Sunday, leaving their home supposedly to go to the Dome Bowling Centre in Carlow town.

Gardaí issued the first ever amber alert for missing children – the Child Rescue Ireland Alert – after he failed to return home with them.

Mr Chada is also being investigated by gardai over the disappearance of €50,000 from a local community centre in recent weeks.

Gardaí have appealed for information from anyone who may have seen the father of two in his green Ford Focus, registration number 06 CW 238, as it travelled across the country.