Five years on, Farrell family to hear Garda recommendations in ongoing death investigation

The family of the late Liam Farrell, an 87-year-old man who was found dead at his home in Rooskey in January 2020, are due to meet with the Senior Investigating Officer assigned to the case next Friday in Carrick-on-Shannon.

The meeting, scheduled for April 11th in the local Garda station, follows the completion of a peer review into the original Garda investigation. The review was ordered by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris last September and has been with the Commissioner’s office for the past four weeks.

Detective Inspector Ray Mulderrig, the current Senior Investigating Officer, has been instructed to meet with the Farrell family to go through the recommendations arising from that review. Superintendent Peter Conlon, who was commissioned by Commissioner Harris to carry out the review, prepared the findings.

Speaking this week, Peter Farrell said the family expects the meeting to address their long-standing concerns over how the case was initially handled. The family believes Liam Farrell was attacked at his home and has consistently called for a full new investigation.

The Farrells have raised concerns about the original handling of the case, particularly the fact that the post-mortem was carried out by a consultant pathologist who was not informed that a crime scene had been declared. Consultant pathologist Professor Paul Hartel later stated that had he been made aware of the suspicious circumstances, he would have declined to carry out the autopsy, which would instead have required a forensic pathologist.

The family later appointed former Northern Ireland State Pathologist, Professor Jack Crane, to review the case. Professor Crane found that Mr Farrell’s injuries were consistent with an assault, contradicting the earlier conclusions.

While the upcoming meeting is viewed as a positive development, the family continues to seek a direct meeting with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

Speaking on TV3 (now Virgin Media Television) last year, Commissioner Harris publicly stated that he “wanted to get justice for the Farrell family” and that he would meet with them to discuss their concerns directly. Despite this, the family says they have not yet received confirmation of such a meeting, though they remain hopeful that the Commissioner will follow through on his commitment.

Peter Farrell also confirmed that he had the opportunity to briefly speak with Taoiseach Micheál Martin during a recent visit to Austin, Texas, informing him of the ongoing issues surrounding the investigation. While the Taoiseach did not comment publicly, the family says he listened respectfully and is now aware of the situation.

The Farrells have stated that if justice cannot be achieved through domestic channels, they are prepared to escalate the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

The upcoming meeting in Carrick-on-Shannon marks a significant next step in the family's ongoing search for answers, as they continue to seek accountability and clarity surrounding the death of their father.

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