Courts

Man pleads not guilty to murdering Co Clare pensioner two years ago

Thomas Lorigan (34) will on Wednesday go on trial for the murder of Lisdoonvarna pensioner John O’Neill

Thomas Lorigan, pictured in 2022, when he was charged with the murder of John O’Neill

Alison O'Riordan
Mon Jan 15 2024 - 17:31

A man will go on trial later this week accused of murdering a pensioner in Co Clare two years ago.

Thomas Lorigan (34), of no fixed abode, was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court on Monday afternoon.

Mr Lorigan is charged with murdering John O’Neill (79) at St Brendan’s Road, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare between January 6th and 7th, 2022.

When the registrar read the indictment to the accused man and asked him how he was pleading, he replied: “Not guilty”.

READ MORE

The prosecution case is being led by senior counsel Eilis Brennan, while Michael Bowman SC is heading up the defence team.

Addressing the jury panel, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said Mr Lorigan was a native of Lucan in Dublin until his late teens and that he had resided at the time of the alleged offence in or about the Lisdoonvarna area in Co Clare.

The judge said the deceased man lived at St Brendan’s Road in Lisdoonvarna, where he and his wife operated a bed and breakfast business until mid-2021.

He said all the witnesses in the trial were from Co Clare and the south Galway area.

Mr Justice McDermott swore in a jury of five men and seven women to hear the trial, which will begin before him on Wednesday morning and is expected to last up to four weeks.

  • Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
  • Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
  • Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here
LATEST STORIES