Cork murder trial hears how four friends found postman Barry Daly on his back in his garden

Four friends who were celebrating Doneraile’s hurling championship win last October drove to the home of Barry Daly at around 2am because of concerns about people being seen going in that direction with golf clubs, and they found the 44-year-old postman lying on his back in the front garden.

Caelan Jones testified: “We saw someone on the ground. We realised it was Barry. He was not alright… I wouldn’t say he was alive. His eyes were bulging and there was blood all over his face.” 

Mr Jones knocked at the door to alert the family and Katie O’Reilly, Barry Daly’s partner, came out. 

“She went to Barry. She was trying to wake him up, basically,” Mr Jones said.

He was giving evidence on the third day of the trial at the Central Criminal Court of a 17-year-old who cannot be identified as he is a juvenile. The teenager pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of 44-year-old Barry Daly at Rockview Terrace in Doneraile on October 12, 2025.

Conor McSweeney said there was a lot of scuffling around Doneraile around closing time that night/ early morning. Afterwards they went up to Barry Daly’s house.

“We just wanted to check if everything was alright. I seen Barry on the floor. I kind of just panicked. I checked his pulse. There was no pulse. It was kind of obvious he was deceased.”

Conor O’Brien said there was fighting going on in Doneraile between a number of people. 

“There was fighting going on between Barry Daly and Alex Deady… It was just general fighting. There was a few people trying to stop the fighting.” 

Afterwards at Mr Daly’s front garden, Conor O’Brien said: “I seen Barry lying down in the driveway.” 

Dean Lucey said that he saw an earlier witness in the trial, Seamus Hunter, telling the accused teenager and two others to cop on and he called them ‘knackers’. He said the 17-year-old who is presently on trial for murder head-butted Mr Hunter.

Later, Mr Lucey said: “We drove up to Barry Daly’s to see if everything was OK because of the three fellas with the golf clubs”.

He said that before they got there he saw the 17-year-old and the two others “coming back”.

“We saw Barry Daly lying on his back. I called the ambulance,” Mr Lucey said.

Alex Deady’s partner, Rachel O’Kelly testified that she was hit in the side of her face by the late Barry Daly in Doneraile that night. 

“I am quite petite and small and he just approached me and hit me… I was holding my mouth. There was a bit of blood coming from my mouth. I was asking people were any of my teeth moved.” 

She confirmed in cross-examination by Alice Fawsitt, senior counsel for the defence, that there was no damage to her teeth. During her evidence, Ms O'Kelly said: "My memory is extremely fogged, especially after my assault." 

Other witnesses heard Barry Daly say that hitting Ms O'Kelly was accidental.

The trial continues.