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Killing of Fr Niall Molloy: untangling rumour, innuendo and fact

In this extract from his book, former Garda superintendent Christy Mangan describes one of the most controversial murder inquiries to take place in the history of the State

Fr Niall Molloy was killed in Kilcoursey House, Co Offaly, in July 1985

Christy Mangan
Sat Jul 22 2023 - 06:00

When I became head of the Garda Serious Crime Review Team in 2007 I inherited some controversial cases that would require careful attention. One of these was the investigation into the death of Fr Niall Molloy in 1985.

The case attracted huge public and media attention, mainly because no one was ever convicted of killing the priest. Conspiracy theories gained traction and it was suggested that there had been a cover-up due to a combination of police corruption and judicial, canonical and political interference and that the State had failed to obtain answers for Fr Molloy’s family. Meanwhile, the family were left to champion the cause in order to have the case reinvestigated and get to the truth of what happened in Kilcoursey House on the night of July 7th to 8th, 1985.

Twenty-five years later, in 2010, the case came to public attention once again after a series of articles was published. These contained several details purporting to be facts and written as though they had been recalled by witnesses to the scene at Kilcoursey House. On December 3rd of that year I was appointed to carry out an examination of issues relating to the original Garda investigation.

When conducting historic inquiries one has to go back in time figuratively in order to try to establish the facts. Unfor- tunately, rumour, innuendo and fact can often become so entangled that it becomes impossible to decipher the truth – but as an investigator, my job was to unravel the perceived truth in order to establish the actual truth.

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Former Garda Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan examines the death of Fr Niall Molloy in his new book, Cracking the Case. Photograph: Crispin Rodwell

Richard and Therese Flynn were well established and respected in the Clara area and had considerable commercial interests, including five retail outlets and a wholesale business. At midday on July 6th, 1985, Maureen Flynn, their daughter, married Ralph Parkes in Clara church, returning to her parents’ home at Kilcoursey House for the reception, held in an elaborate marquee erected in their well-maintained garden.

Among the guests was Fr Niall Molloy. He was a frequent visitor to Kilcoursey House and a long-time friend of the Flynns; he was so close to the family that he had his own bedroom in the house and stayed there from time to time.

The wedding breakfast was served at 3pm, and after that a band entertained the wedding party and a large number of guests, including the Fianna Fáil politician Brian Lenihan, a larger-than-life political figure who would run for the presidency in 1990.

[ The Killing of Fr Niall Molloy feels too extraordinary to have been real ]

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The wedding was a joyous occasion and the day passed off perfectly, with the newly-weds leaving Kilcoursey House just before midnight.

The next day, July 7th, the Flynn family returned to the house for a cold buffet lunch. Ralph and Maureen Parkes arrived at 2.15pm for drinks, and lunch was served around 3pm. Fr Molloy was also in attendance. After the meal a number of the guests retired to the livingroom, where they watched Boris Becker become, at that time, the youngest ever Wimbledon men’s singles champion.

Most of the guests left the house at about 6pm. At seven, Fr Molloy and Richard and Therese Flynn left to visit friends, the Goodbodys, for drinks. The Flynn and Goodbody families had known each other for 15 years, mainly through their mutual interest in horses. Both families also knew Fr Molloy, for the same reason. Therese Flynn later told gardaí that she had had three gin and tonics at the Goodbody house and returned home sometime after nine. David Flynn – Richard and Therese’s son – left Kilcoursey House at approximately 9.35pm to go to White’s pub for a drink with friends. David would later recall that on his way to White’s he met his father, Richard, driving in the direction of their home, with Therese in the front seat and Fr Molloy in the back.

[ Fr Niall Molloy: ‘Truth out there’ as chapter in unsolved death closes ]

Shortly after Richard, Therese and Fr Molloy arrived back at Kilcoursey House, Maureen Parkes, Flynn’s daughter and Anne Flynn, David’s wife, who had been in the house during the afternoon and evening, left to go home. The only other person in the house at this time was May Quinn, an elderly relation, who was in the livingroom playing patience.

May Quinn later recalled a conversation she had with Richard and Therese that evening during which they said they were tired and heading to bed. Just before she herself headed upstairs to turn in, around midnight, she went out to the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice and met Fr Molloy in the hallway. The priest fetched himself a drink and went upstairs. In due course, May Quinn followed and retired to her bed.

Richard Flynn with his solicitor: Flynn was tried for Fr Niall Molloy’s manslaughter and assault and was acquitted on all charges after Judge Frank Roe directed the jury to find him not guilty. Photograph: Peter Thursfield

That night, Therese Flynn woke up to find Fr Molloy sitting at the foot of her bed. In a statement, Richard Flynn would later recount that he had been having a drink with Fr Molloy during which a discussion took place: “We all had quite an amount of drink taken and an argument developed between the three of us. It was a stupid argument over who would go downstairs for another drink. I refused to get them a drink, but I said I was going to get one myself and I was out of bed to go down . . . They both attacked me then, both my wife and Fr Niall Molloy, physically. My wife got out of bed and Fr Niall Molloy, who was sitting in the room, got up to attack me. They both went for me at the same time and I struck both of them with my fists . . .

“I hit my wife once on the face and she fell down. I hit Fr Niall Molloy at least twice and probably three times in the face with my clenched fists. Both my wife and Fr Niall Molloy were rendered unconscious. I examined my wife and I saw she was breathing. I also went to Fr Molloy, and he was breathing with difficulty. I threw water on both of their faces and said an act of contrition into Fr Molloy’s ear. My wife revived, but Fr Molloy did not. He was having difficulty, and I knew he had a heart condition. I ran downstairs to phone the PP [parish priest] and Dr O’Sullivan. I got through to the PP Fr Deignan first. I could not get through to the doctor. I went back upstairs, and my wife, Therese, said Fr Molloy was dead, and she was in hysterics. I examined Fr Molloy and he was dead.

And so unfolded one of the most controversial murder inquiries ever to take place in the history of the Irish State.

Cracking the Case by Christy Mangan will be published by Penguin Sandycove on July 27th

Fr Niall Molloy