Family wants new probe into Fr Niall’s death

The family of late Fr Niall Molloy is continuing to press for a Commission of Investigation into the priest’s death in Clara in 1985.

It comes after huge public reaction to a two-part documentary ‘The Killing of Fr Niall Molloy’ which was broadcast on RTE One television in recent weeks.

Fr Niall Molloy was found dead in the bedroom of his close friends Richard and Teresa Flynn from Kilcoursey, Clara, on September 7, 1985, the day after the Flynn family had celebrated the high-society wedding of their daughter in a marquee on the grounds of Kilcoursey House.

The circumstances of Fr Molloy’s death are unclear and a Garda investigation into the case remains open.

The priest and Teresa Flynn shared a love of horses and had a successful business partnership buying and selling showjumpers, as well as investing in land and property.

Bill Maher, nephew of the late Roscommon priest, said the family is continuing to seek a Commission of Investigation where a judge would have the power to compel witnesses to attend and give evidence.

He said there were some ten people he would like to hear give evidence at a commission.

“There’s quite a number of people who were in the house that night that I’d like to see called up before a commission,” he said.

He noted the family’s call for such a Commission of Investigation had received some political support in recent days

Maher explained he and family members had been working with producer Sharon Lawless of Flawless Films on the documentary for four years.

“A whole new generation of people have seen the programme and are absolutely shocked. We’ve had an absolutely huge response to it.”

Mr Maher also said he was not impressed with comments by Alan Dukes, who was Minister for Justice during the fallout from the death, on the RTE documentary that he believed the family would never find out what happened.

“It’s time to call it a halt. I don’t see any possibility that they will ever find out what actually happened that night. That’s entirely unsatisfactory, it’s grief-inducing for them but I think that’s the fact,” Dukes said.

Mr Maher said: “I was not impressed at the time and I’m not impressed with him now.”