Bonus - Eileen Costello O'Shaughnessy

Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

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Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

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Summary

This episode was initially released as a Patreon exclusive on 8th Sept 2019

In November of 1997, Eileen O'Shaughnessy went to work as normal. She drove a taxi in Galway City, and was one of the few women drivers in the country

But on the night of the 30th of that month, Eileen's car was found abandoned in the city with blood all over the drivers seat. Her body was found the next day.

The case remains unsolved.

Music:

Kevin McLeod, Quinns Song : The Dance Begins. (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources:

Cracking Crime: Cold Cases – Eileen O'Shaughnessy RTE (2012) watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Hg2mzVRmQ&list=PLdWT38WOXNebh2AJOBn2Ew-tjMgtnC_0n&index=4

Barry Cummins, Lifers (Dublin: Gill & McMillan, 2014)

Garda Press Release https://www.garda.ie/en/Crime-Prevention/Crimecall-on-RTE/Crimecall-Episodes/2017/November-20/Murder-of-Eileen-Costello-O%E2%80%99Shaughnessy-on-the-30-11-97.html#targetText=Murder%20of%20Eileen%20Costello%20O,on%20the%2030%2F11%2F97&targetText=Garda%C3%AD%20in%20Galway%20are%20continuing,taxi%20driver%20in%20Galway%20City . (20 November 2017)

Declan Rooney, “Taxi driver carry stickers on cars in bid to find killer” in The Irish Examiner https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/taxi-drivers-carry-stickers-on-cars-in-bid-to-find-killer-215158.html (27 November 2012)

Declan Tierney, “New Leads in 20 year old murder” from The Connacht Tribune http://claregalway.info/nuacht/news/2017/12/new-leads-20-year-old-murder/ (14 December 2017)

Lorna Siggins, “Family of Murdered woman believe gardai talking to the wrong man” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/family-of-murdered-woman-believe-gardai-talking-to-the-wrong-man-1.1128374 (30 November 2002)

Ciaran Tierney, “Convicted murderer is questioned about taxi driver killing” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/convicted-murderer-is-questioned-about-taxi-driver-killing-1.317571 (13 July 2001)

Declan Tierney, “Family still searches for answers 19 years after brutal murder” in The Connacht Tribune https://connachttribune.ie/family-still-searches-for-answers-19-years-after-brutal-murder-019/ (26 December 2016)

“Man jailed for murder committed while on day release” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-jailed-for-murder-committed-while-on-day-release-1.1119595 (6 December 2000)

“Taxi woman killed for her £70 takings” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/taxi-woman-killed-for-her-70-takings-26200462.html (4 December 1997)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You're listening to the Mens Rea podcast, and this is the story of the Unsolved Murder of Eileen Costello Oshaknasi.
0:23.6	Music The The In 1997, Eileen Costello O'Sachnesty was 47 years old.
0:49.1	She was from Cora Finn in Galway and had married nearly 30 years before.
0:55.2	She had two children, a boy and a girl, in her early twenties.
0:59.6	But her marriage broke down and she moved back to her family home in Cora Finn and in with her mother.
1:06.8	Throughout the 90s, she had suffered badly with her Crohn's disease, which had caused her severe abdominal pain, fatigue, and digestive distress.
1:16.7	But by 1997, her symptoms were more under control, and she was living her life to the fullest.
1:23.7	She and her mother were very close, and the two had fallen into a good routine with one another.
1:30.0	Her son Damien was 24 and still lived locally. Her daughter, Susan, lived in London, but was at that time traveling through Australia.
1:40.8	Over the years, Eileen had worked a number of jobs. She'd been a hairdresser and had worked in shops,
1:47.0	but in 1993 she decided to start driving a taxi. It was something that she had started through
1:54.4	friends, and she was one of only a dozen or so women drivers at the time. Eileen enjoyed her work. She was outgoing and liked
2:04.9	talking to people. She also liked how her days were always different. There wasn't a part of her
2:11.4	job that Eileen didn't enjoy. She was fastidious and took time over making sure that her accounts were in order.
2:19.6	She took note of all her mileage and her fares.
2:23.8	The car she drove belonged to the taxi company.
2:27.3	She'd drive her own car to collect it and return it at the end of her shift.
2:32.4	Eileen preferred working days. Though Galway could be busy in the
2:36.6	evenings and at nights, she preferred the company of her daytime customers and perhaps felt that it was a
2:43.4	bit safer in the daytime, given that she was a woman on her own. On the 30th of November 1997, Eileen went about her work as normal.
2:54.8	She drove to meet her boss and pick up the taxi to start her shift.
2:59.1	Her first pickup was in Rahoon, on the west outskirts of Galway City.
	...

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