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Mother of Donegal woman killed in India wants apology from Government

Mother of Donegal woman killed in India wants apology from Government

The mother of a Donegal woman who was murdered in India last year says she wants an apology from the Government when she meets with the Taoiseach tomorrow.

28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin from Buncrana was found dead in Goa in March 2017.

Her mother, Andrea Brannigan, wants an apology after officials mistakenly said her daughter, who was a dual passport holder but was travelling on a British passport, wasn't Irish.

Ms Brannigan says more supports are needed for the families of people who die abroad.

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"[Taoiseach Leo Varadkar] has agreed to meet me on Tuesday evening and I'm not sure of the whereabouts yet," she said.

"I just want that there should be more support for families that lose somebody abroad, no matter what the circumstances are."

Ms Brannigan said she will be seeking an apology from Mr Varadkar at their meeting after officials mistakenly said Danielle was not an Irish citizen.

"[Danielle] was here since she was two weeks old, she was Christened here, she voted in elections here, she was an Irish citizen," she said.

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"I'm hurt that they're taking her heritage away, the fact that she isn't an Irish person.

"I feel we've been left to deal with this on our own, every door we go to the door gets closed.

"We go to the UK MPs they say she's Irish, we go to Irish TDs and they say she's English."

"Where do I go? It's more than an apology I need now, I want them to acknowledge that my daughter's an Irish citizen," she said.

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