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Showing posts with the label True Crime

MISSING: The Fiona Pender Murder - Radio Espial EP40

Fiona Pender (25) was last seen around 6am at her ground-floor flat on Church Street, Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland on the morning of Thursday August 23rd 1996. She shared the flat with her boyfriend John Thompson. Following a several-month spell living in London from November 1995, the couple had returned back to County Offaly, Ireland in the spring. Fiona left school at 15 years of age after her Intermediate Certificate. A hairdresser by trade and occasional part-time model, Fiona was a bright, outgoing and positive young lady who always wore a smile on her face. She had trained with Kassard’s Salon and also taken up some modelling work with a friend’s agency (Emer Condron). At the time of her disappearance, Fiona was seven months pregnant and had spent the previous day out shopping with her mother. She was reported last seen by her boyfriend at the couple’s flat before he left for work. Fiona vanished without trace and for over 27 years has never been located. Following cold cas...

MASTER & SLAVE: The Sadistic Murder of Elaine O'Hara

Elaine O'Hara went missing from her home on 22nd August 2012. It was initially assumed she had disappeared while volunteering at the 2012 Tall Ships' Races in Dublin. Inside her house, however, she had left her bag, purse, and mobile phone, and security footage would later reveal her leaving her home with a different phone. She was last seen by a jogger in Shanganagh Park in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown just to the south of Shankill, Dublin. It was later determined that she had gone to Shanganagh Cemetery, where her mother was buried. A woman was heard crying loudly in the graveyard by another witness. This witness saw a woman, fitting O'Hara's general description, crying beside an old grave, but she could not positively identify her as Elaine O'Hara. Elaine’s car was later found nearby, and it was assumed she had, given her psychological history, committed suicide by jumping off the nearby cliffs. In September 2013, more than a year after Elaine’s disappear...

MISSING: The Sandra Collins Murder - Radio Espial EP39

Sandra Collins was 28 years old when she went missing from Killala, Co. Mayo, Ireland on Monday 4th December 2000. She is the eldest of six children in her family. She was born to Eleanor and Francie who also had James and Bridie together. Francie, her father, died in 1978 and Eleanor remarried Joe Collins in the mid 80’s. They went on to have Patrick, David and Mary together. The family experienced an earlier tragedy. Sandra’s younger brother James was killed in a workplace accident just six months before she disappeared. Her mother Eleanor passed away not knowing what happened to her daughter. Sandra moved from her family home in Crossmolina at 16 years of age, temporarily to care for her aunt, but weeks became months and she soon became her full time carer. At the time of her disappearance, she was still living with her aunt at Courthouse Street, Killala. She left her aunt’s home at 7.30pm to buy groceries, calling in on their elderly neighbour, William Johnston, to see if he needed...

THE RECLUSE'S COOKBOOK: S2. Ep. 10 - Mick Rooney - Radio Espial and investigative journalist

Welcome to Episode 10 (HOST: VINNY McHALE) My guest this week is Mick Rooney. Mick is an investigative journalist from Dublin. He is also the founder of Radio Espial. Mick has had an amazing career over the past three decades. Beginning as a court reporter he has published many books on several topics. He moved into self-publishing and is now the host of Radio Espial which is a talk radio channel that covers poetry, aviation, true crime and missing people cases. In this episode we discuss Mick’s start as a court reporter. Mick tells us how he moved from the world of self-publishing into world of youtube and the fascination of the public with cases of Missing people.

RAONAID MURRAY: A Life Cut Short

Raonaid Murray was an Irish teenager from Glenageary, South Dublin who was stabbed to death at the age of 17 years just a few hundred metres from her home in the early hours of 4th September 1999. As of October 2023, this murder case remains one of Ireland’s most high-profile unsolved cases. The murder weapon has not been located and no one has ever been charged with her murder. Each year her family and the Garda Síochána (Irish Police) issue new appeals for fresh information. The case has been compared in the media to other unsolved incidents such as the disappearance of schoolboy Philip Cairns in 1986 for its length and so many unanswered questions. BACKGROUND Raonaid Murray (Rainy to many of her friends) was born on 6th January 1982 to parents Jim and Deirdre Murray and she lived and grew up in Glenageary, a relatively middle-class suburb of South Dublin, Ireland. Her father was a teacher and had just become a school principal. Her mother had a career background in care therapy. Rao...

EMER O'LOUGHLIN: An Irish Murder and Vanishing Suspect

Life was good for art student, Emer O’Loughlin. At age 23 years, she and her boyfriend, Shane Bowe, had just returned from a dream trip across the world over months that took them through Europe and into Asia during 2004. On their return to County Clare, Ireland, the young couple decided to save money for a house and a family life together. Emer’s dad, Johnny, hauled a mobile home into a picturesque area called Ballybornagh, in the heart of the Burren, Clare. It was a plot of land owned by Emer’s boyfriend’s family. She wanted nothing more than to continue her studies in art and design. No sooner had she arrived back in Ireland in 2005, she received word that her application had been accepted to the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin. She was excited for the coming year. But the life of two families changed on Friday, April 8th. The couple had experienced some power supply issues to their mobile home that morning and, just before heading off to work, Shane suggested th...

SISTER PHILOMENA LYONS: Her Sinister Murder and a Young Predator

Sister Philomena was born Christina Lyons in Rahan, Mallow, Co Cork, Ireland in 1932. In 1950, she entered the order of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. She also trained as a primary school teacher in Carysfort Training College, Blackrock, Dublin. She spent six years teaching in New Jersey, in the United States. On returning to Ireland, she taught for 35 years at St Brigid's National School in Ballybay, County Monaghan, close to her convent home. On December 23rd, 2001, at 8.10 am, she departed the convent to take a trip to Dublin. She was looking forward to celebrating Christmas in another convent with friends. Shortly after breakfast, "in jovial mood", Sister Philomena was accompanied to the gates by the head nun, Sister Aloysius, to catch a bus. She had two small suitcases and a plastic bag, but she forgot her mobile phone charger, so she returned to the convent to get it, leaving Sister Aloysius to mind her luggage. When she got back, she insisted her co...

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...

COLD CASE: Eileen Costello O'Shaughnessy

Eileen Costello O’Shaughnessy (47), from Corofin in Co Galway, Ireland was brutally murdered on November 30th 1997 while working as a taxi driver. Eileen started work at 8am, worked her shift throughout the day, and around 8pm she informed her taxi base that she was taking her last fare to Claregalway. Approximately 20 minutes later the taxi base attempted to contact Eileen but received no answer. At 9pm Eileen was due to meet the owner of the taxi in Galway to handover the car and keys however she failed to meet as agreed. The last known contact with Eileen was at 8pm. The following morning the 1st of December 1997, the body of Eileen Costello O’Shaughnessy was discovered at Tinkers Lane, Knockdoemore just off the N17 motorway. Eileen had been assaulted and murdered. A murder investigation commenced. After almost 26 years, her killer has never been found. Irish police (An Garda Síochána) have always had one prime suspect identified in the area at the time and responsible for two othe...

MISSING: Esra Uyrun Case

On the 23rd of February 2011, 38-year-old Esra Uyrun leaves her home in Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland in the small family car. It’s around 7.20 am and she has told her husband Ozgur that she is just popping out briefly to pick up milk and some bits and pieces for the day at the local early-opening shop in nearby Nielstown. Her husband is busy getting ready for work and looking after their two and a half year old son. He has decided to visit the gym today and will take the car that day. Most often, Esra takes him to work in and picks him up when he finishes later in the day. It’s cool and cloudy and Esra wants to make sure she has everything and won’t have to go out without the car. The couple have been living in Dublin for almost four years since Ozgur secured a better paid job and they moved to Ireland from London. Originally, both are of Turkish heritage and met in the UK. That’s where their families still live. Esra Uyrun was born into a Turkish family in London in 1972. When she li...

COLD CASE: Claire Boylan Case

At the time of her disappearance Claire Boylan was 36 years of age, single and living with her parents in Terenure, an upmarket South Dublin suburb in Ireland. Terenure is the same neighbourhood where Eva Brennan attended church on the day she disappeared. Claire, like Eva, was a similar age and described by her family as “shy and retiring and a creature of habit.” On the morning of Sunday the 2nd of March 2003, Claire informed her family that she intended to travel to Tullamore Co. Offaly to meet an old school friend, and left her family home. However, Claire’s friend informed Gardai (Irish police) that Claire never made contact with her to arrange a visit on the 2nd of March, nor did Claire contact her friend subsequently to the day she disappeared. No evidence has emerged that Claire ever travelled the 100 kilometre distance from South Dublin to Tullamore. She was formally reported missing by her brother, Bernard, on Tuesday, 4th March 2003. No evidence or substantive leads in her m...

COLD CASE: Patricia Doherty Murder

Patricia Doherty, aged 29, was a prison officer at Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, Ireland. She had returned to her home in Tallaght, Dublin just before 9 pm on the evening of 23rd December 1991, following a busy day of Christmas shopping. But that evening, on a last minute spur of the moment thought, she decided she wanted to get Santa hats for her two young children. Time was of the essence. It was reported that she had a long work shift on Christmas Eve and this was her last chance to have everything organised. She was spotted at two locations, one near the Old Bawn Shopping Centre just before it closed and another by a local pub called Bridget Burke’s. But Patricia never returned home that evening. On Christmas day, Patricia's husband formally reported his wife missing. The Irish police were able to find a witness who reported seeing Patricia at around 9:20pm on the 23rd of December walking past Bridget Burke's Pub towards the Old Bawn Shopping Centre. Then, a second witness cam...

COLD CASE: Antoinette Smith Murder

In this episode, Radio Espial looks at the unsolved cold case of Antoinette Smith from 1987. I'm delighted to say that I was joined by Ciaran McConnell from Irish Cold Cases and the website Ireland's Vanishing Triangle to review this case. CASE SUMMARY Antoinette Smith and her friend Marie attended a David Bowie concert at Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland on Saturday, July 11th, 1987. The pair returned by bus to Dublin City centre arriving at Parnell Square around 11pm that night. They decided to finish their long day out after the concern at the La Mirage Discotheque on Parnell Street a short distance away. It was there that they met two men they knew. Having remained in the two men’s company for the rest of the night, they all left the nightclub shortly after 2am. Antoinette’s friend parted company with the group, deciding to head home while Antoinette stayed on speaking to the two men until all three walked the short distance to a taxi rank on O’Connell Street. The men ...

MISSING: Deirdre Jacob Case

Deirdre Jacob is an Irish woman who disappeared very near her parent’s home just outside Newbridge town, County Kildare on the 28th July 1998 at the age of 18. In August 2018 the Garda Síochána (Irish police) announced that her disappearance was being treated as a murder case. CASE SUMMARY Deirdre Jacob was born on October 14th, 1979 to Michael and Bernadette Jacob and she spent her childhood growing up in a bungalow just outside Newbridge, County Kildare in an area called Roseberry. During the 1980s, it was a quiet place that had yet to see the sprawling housing developments that would soon come. When she completed school, Deirdre had developed a passion for writing, playing the piano, and she quickly decided she want to teach. She left Ireland in 1997 and began studying to be a primary level teacher at St. Mary’s College in Twickenham, London to qualify. By May 1998, her first year of study was completed and she returned back to her parent’s home in Newbridge, Ireland. During her tim...

MISSING: The Jo Jo Dullard Case

  Josephine "Jo Jo" Dullard, 21, of Callan, County Kilkenny, was living in Harold's Cross, County Dublin when she went missing on 9th November 1995. She had recently finished a beauty therapy course after finding it very difficult to juggle work and college. On the day she disappeared, she was planning on moving from Dublin back home to Callan for good. She had missed her last bus to Callan and had to take another bus to Naas, County Kildare instead. She was last known to be in the Moone area of County Kildare while hitchhiking home to Kilkenny. She had been driven from the Naas area to Kilcullen, County Kildare and then on from Kilcullen to Moone. She was last seen using a payphone in Moone and through telephone records, Gardaí found out the call was made at 11:37 pm to Dullard's friend, Mary Cullinane. She ended the call as she was about to enter another car. There was also an unconfirmed sighting of her walking along the road in Castledermot, County Kildare. The d...

MISSING: The Tina Satchwell Case

Tina Satchwell is an Irish woman who went missing under suspicious circumstances in 2017, in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. Tina Satchwell is from St Bernard's Place in Fermoy, Cork. She lived with her husband for almost 28 years, Richard Satchwell, and their two dogs on Grattan Street in the seaside town of Youghal. The couple met when Tina was on a visit to the UK in 1989. Richard moved to Ireland within ten weeks of the pair meeting. Tina disappeared from her home on Monday 20th March 2017. She was last seen in public at a car boot sale with her husband in the town of Carrigtwohill the previous day (Sunday) 19th March. Richard was the last person to see her around 10 am on the Monday morning. He stated that Tina asked him to go to an Aldi store in Dungarvan to buy fish and dog food, and when he return to their home on Grattan Street in Youghal two hours later, she was gone. He officially reported her missing on Friday 24th March four days after he had last seen her. Tina was...

THE BOY WHO NEVER CAME HOME: What Happened Philip Cairns?

Philip Cairns, a 13-year-old schoolboy, disappeared on the afternoon of the 23rd October 1986 while walking back to local secondary-level school, Coláiste Éanna in Rathfarnham, Dublin, after his lunch break. He never returned to school and has never been found after more than 36 years. A large-scale investigation was carried out but no physical trace of Philip has ever been found. His disappearance has long been treated as a high-profile child murder case, the only similar incident in Ireland being the murder of young Robert Holohan (11 years) in January 2005 and Philip’s case remains one of the most high-profile disappearances in recent Irish history. Across almost 37 years, Philip's family have issued numerous appeals for information. A reconstruction took place in 2007 and was later televised on Irish TV network, RTÉ One, while a reward of €10,000 has also been offered. The book, When Heaven Waits by Emma McMenamy, published in 2007, featured an interview with Philip's mothe...

DEATH ON THE TRAIL: What Happened Kris Kremers & Lisanne Froon? EP27 Radio Espial

Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon were Dutch students who disappeared on 1st April 2014, while hiking the El Pianista trail in Panama. After an extensive search, portions of their bodies were found a few months later. Their cause of death could not be determined definitively, but Dutch authorities working with forensic and search-rescue investigators initially thought it likely the students had accidentally fallen from a cliff or river bridge after becoming lost. However, foul play could not be entirely ruled out, and is considered by some much more likely due to other remains being found. The circumstances and aftermath of their disappearance have resulted in much speculation about their final days.  

Radio Espial: Episode 25 - MISSING - Nicola Bulley (Timeline and Analysis)

Nicola Bulley, 45, a mortgage advisor, was last seen on Friday morning at around 9.20am while walking her dog alongside the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, UK. She had just dropped off two her daughters, aged six and nine, at the local school in the village. Ms Bulley’s phone was found, apparently still engaged on a work call, on a park bench nearby, along with the harness and lead for her dog, Willow, a springer spaniel. Journalist Mick Rooney examines the full case timeline for Radio Espial.

Radio Espial: Episode 23: Missing - The Annie McCarrick Case

Annie Bridget McCarrick (born March 27th, 1966), an American woman from Long Island, New York, went missing under suspicious circumstances in 1993 while she was residing in Ireland. Radio Espial's Mick Rooney explores the timeline and events surrounding her disappearance. McCarrick was born on Long Island, New York and she grew up and lived in Bayport until her move to Ireland in January 1987, aged 19, to study at St Patrick’s College for Teacher Training in Drumcondra. She later switched colleges and instead decided to study Irish Literature at Maynooth University for three years. For two years she was in a relationship with Dermot Ryan, a period when Annie was renting and sharing a small cottage with a female friend in Ballyboden, Dublin. In 1990, she returned to New York and after a four-month period, the relationship with Ryan petered out. He returned to Ireland and later decided to move to Italy. Annie instead remained in New York and spent two years in the US studying for a m...