A cervical cancer campaigner's mass was attended by hundreds after she motivated hundreds of thousands of women to get the HPV vaccine.
Laura Brennan, who died last Wednesday aged 26 at the University of Limerick, Ireland, was praised by her brother Fergal at the service, and received tributes from the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar among others.
Since she began campaigning the percentage of Irish women with the vaccine has increased from 51 per cent in 2017 to 70 per cent today.
Her mass, which was described as a celebration of her life, was held at the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul in Ennis, Co. Clare, after her burial this morning.
Laura Brennan died at the age of 26 at the University of Limerick, Ireland, after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer
Hundreds came to her Mass today after she campaigned tirelessly for women to get the HPV vaccine, which can help them avoid the cancer
Larry and Bernadette Brennan pictured arriving at their daugher's mass, which aimed to celebrate her life, at the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul in Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland
After being diagnosed with cervical cancer two years ago, she went public and campaigned to help other women avoid the cancer.
The Mass, which was described as a celebration of her life, was held after her burial on Wednesday morning.
Among the congregation were Health minister Simon Harris and RTE broadcaster Ryan Tubridy.
Father Pat Malone, co-parish priest of the Abbey Pastoral Area, said: 'Laura spoke often in the midst of her personal illness about being in control of her personal freedom to act. How true that was of her.
'That freedom was facilitated by her parents and siblings, by the manner in which you allowed and helped her organise her schedule while adapting your own schedules so that she could do the things she wanted to do, in the middle of her personal illness.
TV Presenter Ryan Tubridy (right) also attended her mass after she appeared on his Late Late Show to talk about her diagnosis with cervical cancer. Bishop Fintan Monahan (left) also attended the celebratory mass
After she started campaigning in 2017 the percentage of women with an HPV vaccine rose from 51 per cent to 70 per cent in Ireland
The Irish Health minister Simon Harris also attended Laura's mass alongside hundreds of others
'For this reason I believe that we, and so many people in our country, and those in the health services, owe a huge debt of gratitude to you, for the manner in which Laura promoted so passionately the call for women's healthcare in our country and indeed abroad.
'And we sincerely thank you for that.'
Ms Brennan first contacted the Health Service Executive (HSE) in 2017 and publicly campaigned to support HPV vaccination and prevention of cervical cancer from then on.
In a campaign video launched in 2018 she says she was optimistic when the cancer was first diagnosed when she was 24, as she could receive chemotherapy and radiation treatment to cure it.
However, when it came back two months after she thought she was clear, the outlook was different.
'There is no treatment that will cure my
