Help me find my ‘House of Horrors’ son

THE father of a man, presumed to have been murdered in Cork’s ‘House of Horrors’ in 1994, has issued an appeal for information in the hope of finding his son’s remains.

Wexford native Cathal O’Brien disappeared from a flat in Cork on April 18, 1994.

Kevin Ball, a homeless New Age traveller from England, aged 41, whom Cathal had befriended while working as a Simon Community volunteer, disappeared at around the same time.

A third man, Patrick O’Driscoll, aged 32, was murdered eight months later, within a week of moving into the same apartment building as Mr O’Brien.

Part of his body was discovered in woodlands on the outskirts of Cork City while no trace has ever been found of Cathal O’Brien or Kevin Ball.

Fred Flannery, who also lived at No 9 Wellington Terrace, and another man were arrested on in May, 1995, and questioned about O’Driscoll’s murder.

Flannery was charged with the murder but his trial in 1996 collapsed and he took his own life in 2003.

Cathal O’Brien’s father Seamus, speaking on RedFM, said he believes information is out there that would lead to his son’s remains.

“I absolutely believe there is information still out there,” he said. “There a lot of people who were in that circle and knew the Flannerys and Cathal.

“I believe they have background that can lead to a resolution of this.

“We would be eternally grateful, even after 25 years if there was information that could lead to where Cathal is buried.”

He added that the death of Fred Flannery was of little consolation to him: “We have had 25 years of blank purgatory and are still none the wiser.”

Mr O’Brien also revealed that he met Mr Flannery on three separate occasions but he never confessed to the murder.

Mr O’Brien said he was wearing a butcher’s apron under his clothes when he confronted Mr Flannery in Macroom because he “did not feel safe with him”.

“He had to be faced and given a chance to face up to what he did; I wasn’t dealing with someone who was inclined to do that,” added Mr O’Brien.