Calls to reopen investigation into death of priest

The family of a midlands priest who was found dead in a pool of blood in Clara 25 years ago have renewed their call for the case to be re-opened, after a national newspaper investigation was published last weekend. Fr Niall Molloy, 52, died in a bedroom in Kilcoursey House on July 8, 1985, where he had been attending wedding celebrations held by his close friends Richard and Therese Flynn, well-known in business and horse-racing circles. Fr Niall, originally from Roscommon and a parish priest in Castlecoote, bred horses with Mrs Flynn. The night following the wedding, Fr Niall was found dead in the couple’s bedroom, covered in his own blood. In a voluntary statement, Mr Flynn told Gardaí that he had been viciously attacked by his wife and Fr Niall in a row over drink. He said he acted in self-defence, striking them both, the priest at least three times. Richard Flynn was charged with manslaughter and causing actual bodily harm, but when the trial began in June 1986, the presiding judge, Judge Frank Roe, directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict. When marking his anniversary in July, the priest’s nephew, Bill Maher, spoke to the Westmeath Independent. “The only way we as a family will get closure is when a full and proper investigation is mounted into the circumstances surrounding Niall’s death,” said Bill Maher. “Niall was a very much loved and highly respected member of our family and the communities in which he worked, and is sadly missed, with affection, by us all.” The investigation by the Irish Independent has gathered a new witness account from the Clara sergeant at the time Kevin Forde and an interview with a close friend of a person who was present in the house in Clara on the night. Both Fine Gael’s Alan Shatter and Labour’s Pat Rabbitte have called for the case to be reopened.