The names of five young people killed in a road crash in Ireland will be now forever united together, a funeral for one of the victims has heard.

Chloe McGee, a 23-year-old teacher from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan, died in the fatal collision near Dundalk last weekend along with her boyfriend Alan McCluskey, who was also 23 and from Drumconrath in Co Meath.

Their friends Dylan Commins, 23, from Ardee in Co Louth, Shay Duffy, 21, from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan, and Chloe Hipson, 21, from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, were also tragically killed.

The group was believed to have been on their way to socialise in Dundalk when the Volkswagen Golf they were travelling in collided with another car.

A man travelling in the Golf, who was in his early 20s, was injured in the crash, as were a man and woman travelling in the other vehicle.

Ms McGee had been celebrating her dream job as a teacher at the Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education in Dundalk when tragedy struck.

Hundreds of mourners joined Ms McGee’s family at St Joseph’s Church in Carrickmacross on Saturday morning for her funeral mass.

President of Ireland Catherine Connolly was among those who gathered to pay respects.

Symbols reflective of the young teacher’s life placed at the altar included a family photograph and also a picture of her and Mr McCluskey.

Chloe McGee, a 23-year-old teacher from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan, died in the fatal collision near Dundalk last weekend along with her boyfriend Alan McCluskey and three of their friends
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Chloe McGee, a 23-year-old teacher from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan, died in the fatal collision near Dundalk last weekend along with her boyfriend Alan McCluskey and three of their friends

Mourners arrives for the funeral of Chloe McGee at St Joseph's Church in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan
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Mourners arrives for the funeral of Chloe McGee at St Joseph’s Church in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan

President of Ireland Catherine Connolly was among those who gathered to pay respects for the five young people killed in a road crash in Ireland last week
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President of Ireland Catherine Connolly was among those who gathered to pay respects for the five young people killed in a road crash in Ireland last week

The service heard the couple had recently returned from a holiday in Dubai.

Other items included a cowboy hat to symbolise Ms McGee’s love of country music and a passport representing her desire to explore the world.

Ms McGee was a teacher at O’Fiaich College in Dundalk.

In his homily, Monsignor Shane McCaughey said the crash had devastated the five families of those who had died.

‘Five names that will be forever united when people recall the terrible events,’ he said.

The cleric spoke of Ms McGee’s deep faith and also her ‘bubbly character, infectious laughter and smiles that could light up any room’.

Turning to her family, Monsignor McCaughey acknowledged that their hearts were broken.

‘And yet, what I want to say today is ‘Thank God’,’ he added.

The coffin of Shay Duffy is carried in to his funeral at St Patrick's Church in Rockchapel, Co Monaghan
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The coffin of Shay Duffy is carried in to his funeral at St Patrick’s Church in Rockchapel, Co Monaghan

Alan McCluskey, 23, from Drumconrath, was one of three young men to die in the accident
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Alan McCluskey, 23, from Drumconrath, was one of three young men to die in the accident

Mourners line the route as the hearse carrying the coffin of Shay Duffy arrives for his funeral at St Patrick's Church in Rockchapel, Co Monaghan
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Mourners line the route as the hearse carrying the coffin of Shay Duffy arrives for his funeral at St Patrick’s Church in Rockchapel, Co Monaghan

A shop displays a picture of five friends who died in a car crash at the weekend, during the funeral service of one of the victims, Dylan Commins, 23, from Ardee in Co Louth, (top left), at the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, in Ardee
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A shop displays a picture of five friends who died in a car crash at the weekend, during the funeral service of one of the victims, Dylan Commins, 23, from Ardee in Co Louth, (top left), at the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, in Ardee

‘Thank God for 23 years of life, thank God for Chloe’s fun, for her joy, for her determination to overcome obstacles, for her willingness to achieve goals.

‘Thank God for her energy, for her dancing and her teaching, for her charming smile and her radiant love.’

At the close of the service, Ms McGee’s brother Aaron paid emotional tribute.

‘Just a second, one moment, a heartbeat, a breath, and the ordinary turned into the unthinkable,’ he said.

‘Now your name feels soft when spoken, as if everyone who says it is trying to hold it carefully, so it won’t break, Chloe.’

He described his sister and Mr McCluskey as ‘two hearts completely themselves’ who found comfort in each other’s presence.

Speaking of his sister’s legacy, he added: ‘You left echoes in places you never meant to, empty chairs, unfinished plans, hands that still reach for you without thinking, but you also left a light in the laughter you gave so easily, in the way you made others feel seen, in the warmth that has outlived the moment you were taken.’

Dylan Commins, 23, from Drumconrath, was one of five involved in the fatal incident on Saturday
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Dylan Commins, 23, from Drumconrath, was one of five involved in the fatal incident on Saturday

Chloe Hipson, 21, from Lanarkshire in Scotland, died in the fatal collision
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Chloe Hipson, 21, from Lanarkshire in Scotland, died in the fatal collision

Shay Duffy, 21
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Shay Duffy, 21

Ms McGee’s brother concluded: ‘We carry you forward, not as a shadow of loss, but as a quiet truth that life, even a short one, can be bright enough to change the people who loved you. Rest gently, Chloe.’

The funerals for Mr McCluskey and Mr Commins took place on Friday.

A service for Mr Duffy was held on Saturday afternoon.