In January 1982, Charles “Charlie” Self, a talented stage and set designer with RTÉ, was found brutally murdered in his Monkstown home. Known for his groundbreaking work on The Late Late Show and many other RTE flagship programmes at the time, Charles was a rising star in Irish television before his life was cut short in a violent and still-unsolved attack. This Radio Espial timeline episode explores his life and career, the night of the murder, the Garda investigation, and the social and cultural climate of 1980s Ireland. More than 40 years later, Charles Self’s case remains one of the country’s most enduring unsolved crimes.  

In the early hours of Sunday morning, September 20th, 2009, a man parked his car outside Carlow Garda Station in Ireland. He sat in his car for a while penning a note on paper. A while later he entered the Garda station and slid the note across the counter along with his car keys to the attending female garda officer on duty. Written on the note, very clearly… ‘I’ve done something terrible […] Less than an hour later, around 6 am, Detective Brendan Murphy and members of An Garda Siochana made entry to a house at number 4, High Street, Leighlinbridge, Carlow, 13 kilometres away from Carlow Garda Station. There, they found the lifeless body of 24-year-old Lisa Doyle, an Argos retail supervisor, lying fully dressed in her bed with the sheets covering her. This is the Radio Espial Timeline into the murder of Lisa Doyle. #LisaDoyle #LisaDoyleMurder #IrishTrueCrime #truecrimedocumentary  

New Year’s Day, 2008 — 15-year-old Amy Fitzpatrick vanished into the night on Spain’s Costa del Sol. After leaving a friend’s house just before 10 p.m., she set off on a short walk home… but never arrived. No trace of her has ever been found. One moment she was there — the next, gone. But it is only the beginning of this bizarre case over the next 17 years.  

For this episode of Radio Espial, we have new case updates on the Tina Satchwell murder case and the trial of her husband; a case classification change and new search for Fiona Pender; an arrest and new search in the Annie McCarrick murder case; and further convictions in the Ashling Murphy murder case. There are two highly active and sensitive cases covered here. Please be respectful in the comments. You may feel by commenting that you are not responsible for what you say... but we are. Think before you blink... before you comment. We all want the two active cases to reach a successful prosecution. If you have new or relevant information... you go to the phoneline below... not the comment section for attention and to see how clever everyone else might think you look. To contact An Garda Síochána with a tip about a crime, you can call the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111. CASES #tinasatchwell #fionapender #anniemccarrick #ashlingmurphy  

In this Radio Espial episode, Tosh Lavery discusses several high-profile cold cases, his involvement in them, offering his expert insights on these unsolved mysteries. He covers the disappearances of Fiona Sinnott, Philip Cairns, Trevor Deely, and Mary Boyle, presenting case details and the inner workings of the search for evidence.  

On a cold December evening in 1992, the peaceful and affluent suburb of Malahide, North Dublin, was shattered by a brutal and baffling crime. Grace Livingstone, a 56-year-old wife, mother, and respected member of the local community, was executed in her own bedroom with a single shotgun blast to the back of the head. Her killer vanished without a trace. Despite early suspicions pointing to her husband, a high-ranking tax investigator who owned the very weapon that was used, no one was ever charged. No motive was ever confirmed. More than thirty years later, the murder of Grace Livingstone remains one of Ireland’s most unsettling and high-profile unsolved cases—an enduring cold case marked by missteps, suspicion, and controversy. What follows is the Radio Espial TIMELINE—a gripping, detailed reconstruction of a murder that stunned a nation. This is not just a cold case... it's a story of how truth and a murderer can vanish in plain sight.  

In October 2008, 24-year-old James Patrick Grealis vanished without a trace from Breda, Netherlands, leaving behind only questions and heartbreak. The Irish carpenter had moved across Europe chasing work opportunities, but on October 23rd, he simply disappeared. With no confirmed sightings, no known enemies, and no explanation, his case remains a haunting mystery—closed by authorities but never forgotten. Did he meet with foul play, vanish voluntarily, or is there a missing clue waiting to be uncovered? Seventeen years later, James’ family still seeks answers. Join us as we explore the strange and unsolved disappearance of James Patrick Grealis.