101 - A Few Days in May

Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

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Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 November 2021

⏱️ 50 minutes

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Summary

In early May, 1996 - three women were killed violently in their own homes in separate incidents across Ireland. It all occurred in the space of three days. In fact, 1996 would go on to be the year with the most violent deaths of women in recent history. ********** Featured podcast - Making of a Detective ********** With thanks to our sponsors for this episode: Try the casual mobile puzzle game Best Fiends today! Find it on the Apple App store and Google Play! Check out the global leader in mens grooming and Get 20% Off + Free Shipping at Manscaped.com with the code MENS Sign up for professional online counselling at betterhelp.com/mens and get 10% off your first month! ********** Find us on Facebook or Twitter! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! Donate today to get access to bonus and ad-free episodes! Check out the Mens Rea Merch Store! ********** Theme Music: Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Additional Music: Allemande (Sting) by Wahneta Meixsell. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ********** Sources: “Man gets life for murdering his wife with breadknife” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-gets-life-for-murdering-his-wife-with-breadknife-1.54261 (21 March 1997) p. 4. “Man charged with murdering woman in Darndale” in The Irish Times (6 May 1996) p. 1. Eugene Moloney, “Brutal killer 'ignored mother's plea for mercy'” in The Irish Independent (6 May 1996) p. 1. “Murder charge man remanded” in The Irish Times (11 May 1996) p. 10. “Woman ran from home after stabbing, court told” in The Irish Times (14 March 1997) p. 4. Mary Carolan, “Court told husband planned murder of his wife” in The Irish Independent (14 March 1997) p. 12. “Murder accused's illness halts trial” in The Irish Times (15 March 1997) p. 4. Susan McKay, “Man denies murder of wife in Darndale” in The Sunday Tribune (16 March 1997) p. 7 “Girlfriend says accused man spoke of killing his wife” in The Irish Times (19 March 1997) p. 6. Mary Carolan, “Murder trial told of stab wounds” in The Evening Herald (11 March 1997) p. 11. “Husband accepts responsibility for stabbing his wife” in The Irish Times (20 March 1997) p. 4. “Man gets life for murdering his wife with breadknife” in The Irish Times (21 March 1997) p. 4. Mary Carolan, “Husband given life for murdering wife” in The Irish Independent (21 March 1997) p. 3. Alan O'Keefe, “Girl with the green eyes” in The Evening Herald (2 March 1997) p. 2 “Conviction for murder of wife upheld” in The Irish Times(14 July 1998) p. 4. Nuala Haughey, “Man charged with women's death” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-charged-with-women-s-deaths-1.47254 (9 May 1996) Paul Cullen, “Three women die violently in week prison body admits Mountjoy crisis” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/three-women-die-violently-in-week-prison-body-admits-mountjoy-crisis-1.47970 (11 May 1996) Susan McKay, “A deadly power game” in The Sunday Tribune(23 March 1997) p. 14.“Man charged with murder in Laois” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-charged-with-murder-in-laois-1.47228(9 May 1996) “Man phoned gardai after he shot mother in the back, court told” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-phoned-gardai-after-he-shot-mother-in-the-back-court-told-1.44967 (21 February 1997) p. 4 “Man found guilty but insane of murdering his mother” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-found-guilty-but-insane-of-murdering-his-mother-1.45393 (22 February 1997) p. 4. “Murder accused too ill to attend court” in The Irish Times (15 June 1996) p. 4. Noel Smith and Fergus Black, “Women's deaths: two charged” in The Irish Independent (9 May 1996) p. 1. Mary Carolan, “Mother 'poisoned my mind' claims murder accused” in The Irish Independent (21 February 1997) p. 3. Mary Carolan, “Killer of mother guilty but insane” in The Irish Independent (22 February 1997) p. 4. “Limerick woman believed killed after domestic dispute” in The Irish Times (8 May 1996) p. 1. Jim Cusack, “Killing of third woman in four days may have been result of domestic dispute” in The Irish Times (8 May 1996) p. 3. “Man denies killing wife” in The Irish Times (15 July 1997) p. 2. Noel Smith and Don Lavery, “Two held as second woman found murdered in home” in The Irish Independent (8 May 1996) p. 1. “Man, 49, charged with killing wife” in The Evening Herald (8 May 1996) p. 2. “Tests for death charge man” in The Irish Independent (15 May 1996) p. 7 “Murder trial begins” in The Irish Independent (15 July 1997) p. 4 Mary Carolan, “Judge expresses concern over trial hold-ups” in The Irish Independent (16 July 1997) p. 4. “Husband killed wife” in The Irish Independent (9 February 1999) p. 3. Rita O'Reilly, “Nine years for wife killer judge dubs 'a danger to life'” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/nine-years-for-wife-killer-judge-dubs-a-danger-to-life-26160501.html (20 February 1999) p. 8 Diarmaid Mac Dermott, “Victim's sister speaks of killer release fear” in The Irish Independent (2 March 1999) p. 3. Garda Annual Report 1996 Garda Annual Report 1995. Crime Statistics - https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-rc/recordedcrimeq42017/homicidestatisticsrevisions/ and https://www.statista.com/statistics/945262/homicides-in-ireland/ NBCI wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bureau_of_Criminal_Investigation Garda Website NBCI: https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/organised-serious-crime/garda-national-bureau-of-criminal-investigation/ Women's Aid A Legacy of Loss for women, family and community (Womens Aid 2019) https://www.womensaid.ie/assets/files/pdf/157593017348186301.pdf

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the Men's Raya podcast, and this is the story of a few days in May.
0:30.0	There's something you'll notice if you review newspaper archives from the last two decades
0:45.1	of the 20th century in Ireland.
0:47.5	In the mid-1990s, headlines begin to scream that yet another person has been murdered.
0:54.4	At the end of the year, there may be a rundown of all the violent killings and missing persons
0:59.8	from that year.
1:01.8	Statistics are cited that murders are up on previous years.
1:05.9	It seems that just as violent paramilitaries slow attacks related to the border in Northern
1:11.1	Ireland, gangland activity ratcheted up, elderly people are targeted in their isolated rural
1:17.2	homes, and some robberies turn into beatings leading to death.
1:22.0	But less explainable is the seeming increase in the killings of women.
1:27.0	Women were killed in their own homes, women were killed while walking home, women disappeared
1:33.6	while out during the day.
1:36.0	In the space of three days in May 1996, in three separate incidents in various parts of
1:42.8	the country, three women lost their lives.
1:47.3	On Sunday 5 May 1996, in the early morning, near to 8am, there was a knock on the door
1:53.5	of 33-year-old Martina Halligan's house in Buttercup Park, in Darndale, a council
1:59.2	estate in the north suburbs of Dublin.
2:02.3	Shortly after this, neighbors heard a woman scream, someone help, he's trying to kill me.
2:08.0	Martina ran from her house and a near neighbor heard glass smashing.
2:12.4	The woman came down her stairs and looked out the window to see Martina Halligan lying
2:17.0	on the ground outside, bleeding heavily.
	...

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