130 – Drugs, Death and Butchery: The Deaths of Vincent Costello, Morgan Costello and Damien Monahan

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Drug-related, Insanity Defence, Mental Health, murder, Organised Crime

In the early hours of 29th April, 2000, a fire was discovered in an upmarket flat in the seaside resort of Scheveningen, The Hague. Three occupants were found dead in the bathtub – young Irishmen Damien Monahan and Vincent and Morgan Costello.

Was the fire an accident, some sort of gangland hit, or something else altogether?

This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.

Continue reading “130 – Drugs, Death and Butchery: The Deaths of Vincent Costello, Morgan Costello and Damien Monahan” →

129 – A Battle for Justice: The murder of Brian Fitzgerald

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Drug-related, Irish Crime, Life Sentence, murder for profit, Organised Crime, unsolved

In the early hours of 29th November, 2002, 34 year old father of two arrived home from working his shift as the security manager at a popular nightclub in Limerick City.

He was shot to death in his driveway in a suspected gangland killing.

Would gardai be able to find enough evidence to bring members of one of Limerick’s most notorious gangs before a court?

This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.

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128 – A Questionable Conviction: The deaths of Margaret and Martin Glynn

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Cold Case, Controversial Case, Irish Crime, Life Sentence, murder, murder for profit, Vintage murder, Wrongly Accused

On a chilly Sunday morning in December of 1980, Michael Kelly arrived at a neighbours house in a panic. There was a fire in the house he was staying in nearby, and inside were the two elderly siblings who he was there to look after.

Sadly, Margaret and Martin Glynn – siblings in their 80s – were removed from the house and pronounced dead.

But was this a tragic accident, or a malicious act driven by greed?

This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.

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127 – An Unusual Defence: Layla Brennan

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Irish Crime, Life Sentence, murder, sex crimes


In March of 1999, Phillip Colgan and his wife Mary walked into Rathfarnham Garda Station and with a story to tell. It would be his first of many., and it would be up to a jury to decide which was true – and who killed Layla Brennan.

This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.

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126 – Sex, Lies and Videotape: the murder of Gerry McGinley

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Black Widow, Domestic Violence, Drug-related, Intimate Partner Violence, IRA/Paramilitary links, Irish Crime, Life Sentence, love triangle, murder, murder for profit, Organised Crime, Women Who Kill

In August of 2000, Gerry McGinley disappeared from his home near Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. His wife Julie said he had packed up a plastic bag and had taken off.

The police investigation came up with numerous leads. Had Gerry fallen foul of the Real IRA? Or maybe he’d crossed drug dealers? Was his former lover – or indeed her husband – enraged enough to make him run, or worse? It also seemed likely Gerry had been blackmailing local men with videos they’d rather not exist…

Or perhaps the answer was much closer to home, and to be found in the newly re-decorated master bedroom of the McGinley’s bungalow…

This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.

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124 – Siobhan Hynes: Murder Most Foul

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Child Victim, Irish Crime, Life Sentence, murder, sex crimes

17 year old Siobhan Hynes went out with friends to the small village of an Cheathru Rua on the night of Sat 5th December 1998. She never made it home.

Siobhan’s body was found the following day, on the foreshore of a nearby beach.

How could something like this happen in such a small, isolated community?

This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.

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123 – Death in the Sun: Celine Conroy

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Domestic Violence, Drug-related, Intimate Partner Violence, Irish Crime, murder

In the summer of 2005, Celine Conroy decided to pack up her three kids to spend the summer in Spain alongside her partner Paul Hickey. But rather than a relaxing escape from her life back in Dublin, the holiday ended in horror.

This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.

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122 – Darragh Conroy: the mobile phone murder

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Child Victim, Controversial Case, Irish Crime, Kids who Kill, Life Sentence, murder

On the night of the 11th Nov, 2003, Patricia Conroy frantically searched the small midlands town of Mountmellick for her 14 year old son Darragh. He wasn’t answering the new mobile phone he’d just received and he hadn’t come home when expected.

Ms Conroy had no idea that hours earlier, Darragh had crossed paths with a schoolmate – 16 year old Darren Goodwin – and her son would not be coming home.

This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.

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121 – For Reasons Unknown: The murder of Kenneth O’Brien

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Irish Crime, Life Sentence, murder, murder for profit, Organised Crime, Self Defence

In January of 2016, people started to find body parts wrapped in shopping bags on a stretch of the Grand Canal in Co. Kildare. To gardai, this looked like a gangland hit. But when the remains were identified as 33 year old Kenneth O’Brien, it was quickly determined that he was not known to be involved in anything illegal.

Why was Kenneth O’Brien killed?

This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.

Continue reading “121 – For Reasons Unknown: The murder of Kenneth O’Brien” →