A man and his two children died in Ballycotton in County Cork Police in the Irish Republic have arrested a man after two women and two children were found dead in a house in County Limerick on Tuesday afternoon.
It is believed they were stabbed. One of the dead is thought to be the mother of the children, aged one and five.
It follows the deaths of two children and their father in County Cork.
John Butler died when his car crashed near Ballycotton on Tuesday morning. His daughters, Zoe, 7, and Ella, 2, were later found at his home.
He died when his car burst into flames after hitting a tree.
Concerns were raised after Zoe did not turn up at a local primary school.
Police went to the home of Mr Butler, who was in his 40s, and discovered the bodies of the two girls inside.
It is not yet known how they died.
It is understood the children’s mother had left for work in Cork city at about 0730 GMT, just over two hours before the car crash.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.