Funeral of Goa backpacker Danielle McLaughlin to take place in hometown

Family and friends of the 28-year-old have asked mourners due to attend the ceremony in Buncrana, Co Donegal, to wear bright colours to "celebrate" her life.

Ms McLaughlin was travelling in Goa when she was killed earlier this month.

Her body was discovered in Canacona, a popular tourist area in the south of the Indian state.

A large crowd is expected at her funeral at the Cockhill Chapel in Buncrana at 11am.

Ms McLaughlin's close friends Christy Duffy and Louise McMenamin have asked those attending the funeral "not to abide by the usual dress code of black".

In a statement they said "in order to celebrate the life of such a bright and vibrant young girl, an effort should be made instead to match this brightness by wearing vibrant colours".

Her friends said, while they are heartbroken, they want to honour her "kind and vibrant" personality.

"We are obviously heartbroken at the loss of our very close friend, but we would like to honour her in the way she would have liked, not focusing on the horrors of the world and giving in to hate, but honouring kindness and expressing our love for Danielle."

Ms McLaughlin, who lived in Liverpool for a while as a student, was found dead in a secluded spot on Tuesday March 14.

A post-mortem examination later showed she had been sexually assaulted before being killed by blows to the head.

A 24-year-old man has been charged by Indian police who said he had confessed to the crime.