TOSH LAVERY INTERVIEW: DANGER, DEATH & DRAMA (EP69)

Tosh Lavery, a former member of the Garda Sub-Aqua Unit, spent over three decades confronting some of Ireland’s most harrowing tragedies, from the Whiddy Island disaster and the assassination of Lord Mountbatten to the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin. Known for his gravelly voice and sparkling blue eyes, Tosh was a fearless maverick who found his calling in the darkest of waters—recovering bodies, bringing closure to grieving families, and tirelessly pursuing justice in missing persons cases. His career, though marked by heroism and dedication, took a heavy personal toll, contributing to a long battle with alcoholism and the breakdown of his marriage. Despite the trauma, Tosh found a way forward and has been sober for nearly three decades, channelling his energy into advocacy work for families of the missing.

Born and raised in Waterford, Tosh’s childhood was grounded in community and modest means, shaped by a strong work ethic inherited from his parents. Joining the Gardaí at just 18, his early years were spent policing during the height of the Troubles, and later, diving in some of the most perilous and emotional conditions imaginable—all without proper training in the beginning. Yet Tosh’s resilience and raw commitment made him a key figure in Ireland’s most difficult investigations. Now living in Dublin with his partner and two sons, he remains deeply connected to the past, returning regularly to places like Whiddy Island and Donegal.

Through his book, Tosh: An Amazing True Story of Life, Death, Danger and Drama, and his ongoing work with “Searching for the Missing in Ireland and International,” Tosh continues to give voice to the voiceless and dignity to the disappeared.

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MOSS MOORE: The Unsolved Irish Murder COLD CASE

Dan Foley and Maurice ‘Moss’ Moore were neighbours and friends in Reamore, about 26 kilometres from Listowel Town, County Kerry, Ireland. Moore was 12 years younger, a bachelor living alone with two dogs for company; Foley lived with his wife and her brother. Their houses were separated by just 90 metres. As farmers with small holdings in a tight-knit community, they worked together cutting turf and harvesting hay. The pair would meet daily at the local creamery and also played cards with each other in the evenings with other friends. Dan Foley worried his cattle were wandering away from his house towards the bog, and concerned about welfare of his livestock on such ground, he put down a boundary fence along the sliver of land between his land and Moore’s. However, Moore felt the fence was encroaching on his land so he decided to moved it. Foley, likewise, moved it straight back to where he had first placed it. Moore eventually took a court action so the fence would be moved back indef...

ÁINE SPEAKS OUT: MARIE KILMARTIN CASE UPDATE - Radio Espial EP50

Since we recorded our original Timeline on the Marie Kilmartin case, we have been in contact with her daughter Áine once again and would like to bring you the following update that sheds a great deal more background on the case. However, we felt the information provided stretched far beyond just a short few minutes of update. So much, that we have decided on an unplanned Radio Espial Episode 50. I want to state that what follows is not one of our normal case Timelines and Analysis. It is testimony and an account of the tireless work and research Áine has carried out into her mother’s initial disappearance in 1993, the later discover of her body at Pim’s Lane, a bogland, six months later. Marie Kilmartin’s case is classified as a murder case by An Garda Siochana and included a series of arrests between 1994 and 2008. No one has yet been charged with her murder as of 2024. Following our broadcast of the Marie Kilmartin Case Timeline, Áine, her daughter posted a very lengthy comment on th...

DJ TO STRANGLER: PATRICIA FURLONG MURDER - Radio Espial EP46

Patricia Furlong (21) from Dundrum, Dublin spent the night of Friday, July 23rd, 1982 with friends at her local pub, the Nine Arches. Just before midnight, some of the group of friends decided to head to the late night Fraughan Festival held at Johnnie Fox’s pub, Glencullen, in the Dublin Mountains. In the early hours of the morning she was witnessed leaving the venue to go on a walk with a man described as dressed in an ‘all-white-suit’. Patricia never returned to her friends at the venue. Around 8 am on Saturday July 24th, two teenage girls out for a morning walk discovered Patricia’s dishevelled body lying in a field. She was dead following a brutal strangulation with her own upper clothing. Within weeks, a man emerged as a prime suspect, but it would be many years later before he was finally charged with the murder of Patricia Furlong. Nothing proved straightforward in this case… a case 42 years later that still remains unresolved. It will be a lesson to police, families and the g...

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