FAMILY members of the victims of the Carrickmines fire are among a group of 400 Irish Travellers who met Pope Francis at the Vatican today.
The group travelled to the Holy City today to meet with the Pontiff, who sent messages of condolence to the funerals of the 10 victims of the Co. Dublin fire last week.
Five members of two families were killed when a blaze broke out at a Carrickmines halting site in the early hours of October 10.
The Connors family – Thomas and Sylvia Connors, both aged 27, and their children Jimmy, 5, Christy, 2, and Mary, 5 months – were laid to rest on Friday.
Two days before, Willy Lynch, 25, and Tara Gilbert, 27, were buried alongside their young daughters Jodie and Kelsey, and Mr Lynch’s 29-year-old brother Jimmy.
Ms Gilbert was four months pregnant at the time of her death.
Pope Francis had previously expressed his condolences to the victims' families and friends in a statement which was read out at the Lynch-Gilbert funeral.
Today, members of the victims’ families were given special seats for the papal mass, which saw Pope Francis meet with thousands of members of Travelling communities from around the world.
It was to mark the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s visit to a Romani camp in Romania – the first time a Pontiff made such a gesture.
