Tag: irish true crime

29 – The murders of Thomas Murray & life sentences

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Irish Crime, Mental Health, murder, Public Inquiry

The small town of Ballygar was shocked when 73 year old bachelor farmer William Mannion was found stabbed to death on his kitchen floor. A local youth was responsible. He was brought to trial, found guilty and received the mandatory life sentence. How was it then, that 17 years later, the same man would be able to kill another elderly resident of Ballygar, Nancy Nolan (84) in a senseless and motiveless crime?

This week, we look at the murders committed by Thomas Murray in East Galway and how life sentences in Ireland don’t really mean life.

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28 – Murder on Ireland’s Eye

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Capital Punishment, Controversial Case, Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, Irish Crime, murder, Vintage murder, Wrongly Accused

In 1852, Sarah Maria Louisa Kirwan was found dead at the Long Hole on Ireland’s Eye as the tide receded. Her husband, William, had been painting a sunset scene of the Dublin Mountains and told the boatmen who returned to get them from the craggy island in Dublin Bay that he had no idea what had happened to her. An inquest found that the poor woman had drowned.

But in Victorian Dublin, rumours spread quickly, and it was discovered William Burke Kirwan was living a double life – one that provided a motive for murder.

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25 – The tragic murder of Catherine Cooper

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Capital Punishment, Controversial Case, Insanity Defence, Irish Crime, Landmark Case, Mental Health, murder, Vintage murder

In 1954, Nurse Catherine Cooper (64) lived and worked in Limerick city as a home sister, visiting the ill and infirm at their bedsides. She was originally from County Clare, but had spent much of her working life in London, until the outbreak of World War Two.

On the night of November 19th, 1954, she decided to walk back to her hospital from her last home visit. On the Dublin Road, she was spotted by a 24 year old carman, Michael Manning, who had been drinking all day. He attacked her, and she was killed on the roadside.

But was Manning legally responsible for her death?
 

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22 – The horrific murder of Sylvia Fleming

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, IRA/Paramilitary links, Irish Crime, murder, sadism

The year 1998 was a particularly difficult one for the small town of Omagh, in Northern Ireland. There finally seemed to be a workable plan in place to bring about the beginning of a peace process, but along with that, emotions were heightened.

Just days before the agreement was signed, Sylvia Fleming (17) was out celebrating her first paycheque from her first job. She visited her ex boyfriend that night, and was never seen again. Her sisters, with whom Sylvia was very close, realised that something was wrong very quickly. The pregnant teenager would never have just left them. But they never thought that she would have suffered the fate that she did.

Join us this week as we look at the tragic events surrounding Sylvia Fleming’s murder, and how her community was torn apart that year.

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21 – Veronica Guerin: Gangland Murder of the Media (Part 2)

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Drug-related, IRA/Paramilitary links, Irish Crime, Kidnapping, Landmark Case, murder, Organised Crime

Veronica Guerin took on Ireland’s booming gangland criminals in 1994, who were flooding the country with cannabis and other illegal substances and engaging in an all out war with their competitors. When she approached John Gilligan, the man in charge, at his home, she set in motion a series of events that would lead to her death, and to the downfall of the criminal set she had set her eyes on.

The events of 1994 changed the landscape of organised crime in Ireland forever, as well how the authorities would attempt to curb their enjoyment of their assets. But would they be held responsible for Veronica’s death?

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21 – Veronica Guerin: Gangland Murder of the Media (Part 1)

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Drug-related, IRA/Paramilitary links, Irish Crime, Kidnapping, Landmark Case, murder, Organised Crime

 
In the 1990’s, Ireland saw a boom in organised crime and the importation of drugs that it had not experienced before. Criminals set themselves up at the head of drugs empires and reaped the benefit of their crimes to the tune of millions of pounds a year. Gardai struggled to keep up with these developments, and had no recourse to the extravagant spending of the crime bosses, who set up shell companies and owned expensive homes, vehicles and lived lavish lifestyles.
 
When Veronica Guerin, crime correspondent for the Sunday Independent, began asking questions of these gangsters, she found herself in the firing line. Quite literally.

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