The bodies of two people were found in Kildysart

The bodies of two people were found in Kildysart. Picture Press 22.

The bodies of two people were found in Kildysart Picture Press 22.

The tragic woman who died last night in a stabbing incident has been praised as a 'kind, devoted mother'.

Gardai are investigating the violent deaths of married couple Angelique (27) and Cornelius Belling (44), who died within moments of each other in the rural Co Clare town of Kildysart last night.

Mrs Belling is believed to have suffered stab wounds to her chest while her husband had a serious injury to his neck.

The exact details of what happened are still being investigated by gardai, with post mortems due to take place laster today.

Teresa Cavanagh, a local friend of Mrs Belling today paid tribute to her friend and her "two beautiful children".

Ms Cavanagh said the couple were struggling financially and often thanked her for helping them by buying food and providing them with warm clothing, while also buying toys for her two daughters.

"She just said nobody would look after us in South Africa like you have done here and several other people," she told Today with Sean O'Rouke on RTE Radio One.

"She loved Kildysart and said she was going to make it her home. She said people were so kind to her here. She told me she had no way of ironing her clothes, she didn't have an electric iron, so I said I have a spare one at home and took it back to her.

"I went to the local shop and I bought toys for the two children, then I went to one of the shops and I bought a big bag of shopping for them. This is about maybe four weeks ago."

Ms Cavanagh added how much she adored their two daughters, describing them as "beautiful".

"Everybody is shocked," she added to the radio programme. "She was such a lovely person and she was devoted to the two children. One of them would sit at the right of me, the other would sit at the left of me. They were just beautiful."

It's unclear where the children are currently being cared for, but Mr Belling has a sister living nearby and Mrs Belling had a good friend, whom Teresa had never met, who would often care for them when Angelique.

"One time, her husband was sick on the plane [returning from South Africa] and he was taken to a hospital in Dublin and had to make her way to Dublin to see him and a friend of her cared for her two children while she was there."

"I met here there lately and I gave her more clothes and she said, 'Teresa, you have to call to us'. I saw her Tuesday evening going into the shop and she waved, the two little girls waved to me as well."

Gardai and fire crews responding to an unrelated fire in a shop were alerted to the tragedy when the injured Mrs Belling stumbled on to the town's Main Street at 7.30pm yesterday clutching one of her children. Shortly afterwards they discovered Mr Belling lying seriously injured in a property on the same street.

Emergency services rushed to both scenes, but both people were pronounced dead.

The bodies remained at the scene last night as the State Pathologist travelled to the area and the scene was preserved for a technical examination.

Gardai confirmed they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths. "Gardai at this stage can confirm that they are not looking for a third party in relation to this incident," a statement added.

A garda officer was assisting firemen who were tending to a fire in a shop in the village when Mrs Belling staggered from the apartment with one of her children. She approached the officer and collapsed on the street and the child ran back into the apartment.

Firemen immediately tended to the dying mother while other emergency workers raced into the apartment after the child.

They found Mr Belling, who had also suffered stab wounds, in the hallway of the upstairs property.

It is understood he spoke very briefly to officers. Attempts were also made to save his life but he too died.

It is understood the couple had only moved to the area in recent months and were living in an apartment above the village post office.

They are believed to have been the parents of two children, aged two and three years old.

Locals expressed their shock at the tragedy last night. "There had been a lot of noise and banging in the flat and then she came stumbling out into the street and collapsed," said one local.

Another said people were horrified by the deaths. "It's a terrible tragedy for the children," he added.

Gardai were seen carrying two children, wrapped in blankets, from the house.

Irish Independent