Men shoved to get at victim killed at Tralee funeral, widow claims

THE widow of the man killed at a funeral in Tralee, where six accused are on trial for murder, told the judge and jury today: “They were hitting him with everything, they were hitting him with weapons, blood was squirting everywhere.”

Siobhán Dooley, 45, testified: “I remember one of them pushing [another] back, [saying:] ‘Shove over, give me a chance, give me a go.’”

One of the men on trial for murdering 43-year-old Tom Dooley is his 36-year-old brother Patrick. Siobhán recalled Patrick Dooley at the cemetery that morning: “He was grinning, ‘you’re a big boy now’.”

Siobhán Dooley gave her evidence to prosecution senior counsel Dean Kelly today, and she will later face cross-examination by senior counsel for each of the six accused.

Married for 24 years, she and her late husband had seven children — the four youngest being with them on the day of the funeral in Tralee in October 2023.

They drove directly from their home in Killarney to Rathass cemetery.

Mrs Dooley said her husband was ahead of her in the cemetery that morning around 11am, when she saw him being approached by his brother Patrick and his brother-in-law, Tom Dooley — referred to in the trial as Thomas Dooley Snr.

“They were actually grinning. Tom had a coat on him. He was taking it off him and he was grinning. I saw something in his hand.

“I said to my husband to run. He said: ‘No, why should I run? I have nothing to run for.’

“I saw [Thomas Snr] with two weapons in his hands. One was kind of shiny and looked to be new, the other had a bit of rust on it. I think one had a kind of round top on it, the other was kind of a big chunk of a yoke … Tom said: ‘You’re a big man now.’ Patrick was grinning. He had another weapon. I don’t know what sort it was.”

The witness said the teenager in the trial had “something long in his hands”.

“He had it over his head, like something you’d see in an Indian movie. It was kind of like an axe thing.”

She added: “Patrick and [Thomas Snr] grabbed him by his two collars … Mike — my husband’s first cousin — had a weapon in his hand. He was standing behind my husband.

“I tried to squeeze in between them. I knew I had no hope … All I could do was start scraping [Thomas Snr’s] face and eyes to get him away from my husband.

“I heard one of them saying: ‘Take her out too — get rid of her.’ I got another bang. I was pegged to the ground. They were all gathered around. He [her late husband] turned his head and said: ‘Run, just run.’

“They were hitting him with everything.

“Blood was squirting everywhere. They started laughing, ‘you’re a big man now’.

“They were actually pushing each other to get in at him.

“I remember one of them pushing [another] back,” she testified.

Back at Kelleher’s garage shop, Mrs Dooley saw a garda and screamed to get help, saying: “They are going to kill him.”

Charges

The trial continues before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.

The jury, including three substitute members, consists of 13 men and two women.

The defendants all replied not guilty to the murder of 43-year-old Tom Dooley from Hazelwood Drive, Killarney, at New Rath Cemetery, Rathass, Tralee, on October 5, 2022.

Five defendants in the case — all with the surname Dooley — Patrick, aged 36, from Arbutus Grove, Killarney; Thomas, aged 43, from the halting site, Carrigrohane Rd, Cork; Thomas Jnr, aged 21, from the halting site, Carrigrohane, Cork; Michael, aged 29, of the halting site, Carrigrohane, Cork; and Daniel, aged 42, of An Carraigin, Connolly Park, Tralee, Kerry, are on trial, as is the sixth defendant — who is a teenager.

Only 21-year-old Thomas Dooley Jnr faces the second charge that he intentionally or recklessly caused serious harm to Siobhán Dooley, the wife of the deceased man.

There was also a not guilty plea in respect of this count.