Family of Clodagh Hawe to meet Garda Commissioner Drew Harris

The Department of Education says arrangements are being made to facilitate a request by the family of Clodagh Hawe for more information that could be relevant to the case.

Mary Coll and Jacqueline Connolly, Clodagh Hawe’s mother and sister, last week asked Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan to help them get access to information on her murder through the Department of Education, Tusla and the coroner.

Clodagh (39) and her sons Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) were killed by Alan Hawe (40) in 2016 at their home in Co Cavan. Mr Hawe then took his own life.

A spokesman for the Department of Education told The Irish Times on Tuesday night that arrangements are now being made to address the concerns raised by the family.

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“It’s understood arrangements are in train to follow up on the range issues raised by the Coll family with the Minister for Justice and Equality. It is expected that communication in connection with that will be progressed in the coming days.”

The family is due to meet Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on Thursday in their bid to get further access to Garda files on the case.

Mr Harris has said he wants to be “as open and transparent” as possible.

After their meeting with Mr Flanagan last week, Ms Coll said the family felt “confident” that they would now have access to the relevant files.

Officials in the Department of Justice are also currently examining possible changes to the Succession Act and to coroner’s legislation, following a request from the family.

In a submission given to Mr Flanagan, Ms Coll and Ms Connolly told the Mr Flanagan that Mr Hawe, in a letter, “stated he was ‘caught red handed’. We want to know what was Alan Hawe caught ‘red handed’ at and where? We want specific details of any investigation conducted by the school into Alan Hawe that the school may have been obliged to report. We would be obliged if you could assist us in getting information from the Department of Education, Tusla or from the Coroner who conducted the inquest as necessary.”

It emerged after the deaths that Mr Hawe, a schoolteacher, had sought help for viewing pornography and that he had been caught masturbating while using a school laptop.

Mr Flanagan said he would examine the submission after the meeting.