Tying up of 'quiet man and big fellow' shocks small town

IN THE past Daingean was a name synonymous with criminality but only by association. The grey walls of the notorious Daingean Industrial School are directly opposite the Gaelic Bar where Matt Farrell lost his life in the early hours of yesterday morning.

A notice in the window of the pub, located just off the Grand Canal, advertised the Black Bullet Band later this month. The pub hosted the lottery draw for the local Kilclonfert GAA club on Monday night.

At closing time, Mr Farrell handed the keys to his employee Catherine Stapleton and went to bed downstairs. His son Matthew found him dead five hours later.

Former parish priest Fr Paddy O’Byrne said nothing like the incident which resulted in the death of Mr Farrell had happened in the town for 130 years and it had left locals “shattered and devastated”.

Fr O’Byrne described him as a “quiet and lovely man” who had suffered from ill-health in recent years.

A widower, Mr Farrell had four children, and a number of grandchild, the latest of whom was born this year and was christened a couple of weeks ago.

All his children, sons Matthew and David, his daughters Lorraine and Michelle, along with two elderly brothers Michael and Johnny and a sister Bridget live in the midlands.

Matthew, who lives with his father, is a eucharistic minister and travelled to Australia for World Youth Day which was celebrated by Pope Benedict last year.

Ms Stapleton described Mr Farrell as a “quiet man and a big fellow” who often obliged customers by letting them sleep in the pub if they were too inebriated to drive home and frequently had sandwiches and stews ready for them at night.

Another local, who did not wish to be named, left flowers at the scene. She described Mr Farrell as a “lovely man, a gentleman”.

She said the town had been targeted before and there were a number of robberies, but nothing like last night’s incident. “We thought this was a quiet village. It is hard to believe that somebody would tie someone up and rob them like this,” she said.