Tallaght murders: Andy Cash, 24, charged with murders of Lisa Cash and her eight-year-old siblings Christy and Chelsea Cawley

Lisa Cash, 18, and her eight-year-old twin brother and sister Christy and Chelsea Cawley, died at their home in Rossfield Avenue in Tallaght in the early hours of Sunday.

Andy Cash, 24, of Rossfield Avenue, Tallaght appeared in court in Dublin charged with murdering all three siblings.

He appeared before Judge Patricia McNamara for a special sitting of the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin on Monday.

Garda Robert Whitty told the court the accused was cautioned and charged with three counts of murder at 7.51pm on Monday. Garda Whitty said Cash replied “no comment” to each charge.

Judge McNamara remanded Cash in custody at Cloverhill Prison to appear in court via videolink on Friday, September 9 at 10am.

Earlier on Monday, a school principal said the community is in shock after the deaths of the three siblings.

The victims’ 14-year-old brother was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries, and their mother, a woman in her 40s, was released from hospital on Sunday and is currently being supported by her family.

Earlier, a vigil was held in Tallaght in memory of the siblings with a large crowd gathered outside the house to mourn alongside family and friends.

Balloons were released and candles were lit along the wall outside the house in their memory as songs were played to the crowd.

Dozens of bunches of flowers, teddy bears and candles have been placed along the wall as well as photographs of the three, showing Christy and Chelsea making their first Holy Communion.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has expressed his “deepest sympathies” to their family, and said that the “terrible tragedy” had “left the nation shocked and very saddened”.

Ireland’s Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, described the deaths as “dreadful and traumatic”, adding that it was “one of the worst incidents that I’ve heard of or come across in my service”.

He said it was “the most dreadful and traumatic incident leading to the death of two children and a young person. Sincerely, the most dreadful incident”.

The principal of St Aidan’s Community School Kevin Shortall paid tribute to Lisa Cash. “She was a quiet, beautiful young girl, very diligent, hard-working. Got on with her work. Was a great support to her friends in times of trouble, I heard that from a number of people yesterday. I couldn’t get over the things that people were saying about her. Just a lovely, lovely person, hugely highly regarded and will be terribly, badly missed.”