PRAYERS were said in Karen's home town in Ireland and a special mass was held in a nearby village.

 

People living in Mourneabbey said their thoughts and prayers were with her family and especially her parents, John and Marion.

And speaking from Australia, her older brother Kieran said the family was trying to stay positive and put their trust in the authorities.

He said: "It's very tough on everyone. We are just trying to stay positive. Hopefully some good news comes soon. You know, some crazy excuse for Karen's disappearance, you know, that she turns up safe and sound somewhere. We are all just hoping because that's all you can really do now and just put our trust in the police in Glasgow."

Mr Buckley, who was preparing to fly to Glasgow to be with his parents, said the sudden disappearance of his sister was completely out of character.

He said: "It's not her character at all. It's just very strange. She would always contact anyone, she would always come home. So it's just very strange. I don't know what could have happened but it's not like her to just disappear, so it's out of character."

Karen's brother said he got the news about his sister on Monday and had been hoping there was some simple explanation for her disappearance.

He said: "Monday morning I woke up and my brother told me she was missing and that was it. That was all we knew.

"That was Sunday night back in the UK and we were just hoping that Karen would turn up. Maybe her phone went dead or she lost her phone something like that. It happens."

Mr Buckley encouraged anyone with information to come forward.

"Just get more coverage out there. If anyone has information, recognises her, that's just vital to get the police. That's the main reason behind the Facebook page just getting awareness out there."

Mourneabbey parish priest Fr Joe O'Keeffe led prayers for Karen at mass yesterday morning at St John The Baptist Church, in the adjoining village of Burnfort.

He said: "All we can do is keep Karen and her family in our thoughts and prayers and hope she is found safe and well as quickly as possible."

This evening (Wed) at 8pm, he intends to hold further prayers for the young woman at the Church of St Michael The Archangel at Analeetha, adjacent to where Karen attended national school.

A spokeswoman for Analeetha NS said Karen was in the thoughts and prayers of all the 91 pupils and four teachers there.

Karen, who was described as very kind and likeable young woman by locals, also attended St Mary's Secondary School in Mallow. It's principal Yvonne Bane said "the thoughts and prayers" of her 580 pupils and 40 staff "are with her family at this time".

Retired garda inspector Michael Keogh, who lives a short distance from the Buckley family farm at Glynn, Mourneabbey said locals were in shock.

He said Karen's father, John, had been farming in the area all his life and he and his family were extremely respected members of the local community.

He added: "I must know them for nearly 40 years and they are the most decent, salt of the earth type people you can meet.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as are everybody else's in the community. We will live in the hope that there will be a good outcome to this. Please God everything will work out alright."

His sentiments were echoed by many other locals who asked not to be named.

One local said: "With the uncertainty surrounding the Scottish police investigation at this stage, I don't want to say too much, except that we're all crossing our fingers for the family, who are honest to goodness people."

A local woman said: "This community is in shock, it's just really hard to get your head around something like this. We respect the Buckley family so much. We hope Karen will be okay."

She had played women's football with the local Clyda Rovers GAA Club and officials were meeting last night to discuss the situation. The club tweeted requests for anybody with knowledge of her whereabouts to help the police.