Three siblings killed in violent Tallaght attack named by Gardaí

Twins Christy and Chelsea Cawley and their 18-year-old sister Lisa Cash were killed in the early hours of this morning 

Twins Chelsea and Christy Cawley celebrating their communion with their sister Lisa Cash. Pictures: Garda Press Office

The three siblings who were killed in a violent attack in Tallaght early today were twins Christy and Chelsea Cawley and their 18-year-old sister, Lisa Cash.

The names of the three have been disclosed as gardaí continue to question a suspect known to them about the horror incident at a house in Rossfield Avenue in Brookfield at 12.30am this morning.

Their mother, who was taken to hospital for observation, has been discharged and is in the care of family. Her 14-year-old son, who was also injured in the incident, remains in Tallaght hospital where he is being treated for a leg injury which has been described as serious but not life threatening.

Twins Chelsea and Christy Cawley on their Communion Day. 

The three siblings were taken to Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) in Crumlin, but all three were later pronounced dead.

The man in custody is in his 20s and was arrested by members of the garda armed support unit, involving the “discharge of less-than-lethal devices”.

He is currently being detained at Tallaght Garda Station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

Garda sources described the scene of the incident as a “very tough scene” for members of the emergency services.

A spokesperson for St Aidan's SNS in Tallaght, where Christy and Chelsea Cawley were students, said everyone at the school was "deeply saddened by the event that occurred over the weekend."

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the deceased.

"As a school, our priority will be to take every step to ensure that the needs of our students and their families are met, at this challenging time.

"We will be providing support to pupils and school staff to help them deal with this tragedy and have requested the support of the National Education Psychological Service in this respect," the spokesperson added.