The three children found dead in a house in Newcastle, County Dublin, on Friday evening have been named as siblings.
Ireland’s Gardaí released a statement identifying the children, who were found in Parsons Court, as brothers and sister Conor, 9, Darragh, 9, and Carla, 3, McGinley.
Officers have also confirmed that a woman in her 40s, who is being treated in hospital following the incident, is a relative.
Post-mortem examinations are to be conducted on Saturday afternoon in order to determine the cause of death.
Officers investigating the scene on Friday evening said the deaths were ‘unexplained’ and confirmed an investigation had been launched.
Gardaí said a family liaison officer was in contact with their father Andrew McGinley and the extended family.
The father released a photo of himself with his three children on Saturday.
Irish police continue to treat the sudden deaths as “unexplained” pending the outcome of post-mortem examinations on Saturday afternoon.
It is understood it was not immediately obvious to officers how the children had died when they attended the scene.
It is also understood gardaí are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
Garda forensic officers were continuing to conduct examinations inside the semi-detached house on Saturday.
Neighbours, including parents with young children, attended the house throughout the morning leaving flowers at the door of the home which was guarded by a number of officers as forensic investigators continued inside.
Children’s toys could be seen in the windows of the house.
Many women could be seen in tears as they attended the scene, which has been described as “a very quiet street” and popular with young families.
One woman said the small community is in “absolute shock”, and many attended a local mass service on Saturday morning.
Councillor for the area Emer Higgins described the events as an “unimaginable tragedy”.
“My thoughts are with everybody impacted,” said the Fine Gael representative.
“This is a really tight-knit community, it’s a small area, it’s a quiet area, and it’s just unthinkable that something like this could be happening on our doorstep.
“It’s so tragic. It’s unbelievable that three young people’s lives could be cut short like that, in what seems to be a particularly tragic case.”
A Garda incident room has been set up in Clondalkin Garda Station and gardaí have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.