Funeral of couple killed in Cork house fire to take place on Wednesday

Olivia Kelleher

An elderly couple who died in a house fire in Cork earlier this month will be laid to rest on Wednesday.

John and Gabrielle O’Donnell had neighbours in for tea on April 4th after they received a phone call that their daughter-in-law had given birth in Doha, Qatar.

Several hours after they celebrated the birth of the baby girl, a daughter to their son Mark, the couple died in a fire at their home on Lower Glanmire Road in Cork.

John was aged in his early 80s and Gabrielle was in her late 70s.

Their funeral notice reads they are survived by their son, Mark, and John’s sons, Damien and John.

The pair will lie in repose at Jerh O’Connor funeral home on Coburg Street in Cork on Tuesday from 5pm to 6pm.

Their requiem Mass will take place at 2pm on Wednesday in St Patrick’s Church in Lower Glanmire Road, followed by cremation at the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy.

The fire broke out at their home shortly after 11pm on April 4th.

Councillor Joe Kavanagh, who lives in the area, said the tight-knit community was "rocked" by John and Gabrielle's deaths.

Neighbours were evacuated from their homes for several hours as a precautionary measure after the blaze broke out, with units of Cork City Fire Brigade attending the scene.

The fire is being treated as a tragic accident.