Five men and a teenager deny man's murder at Kerry cemetery

Lina PortmanMay 30, 2024

4 2 minutes read

Five men and a teenager pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the murder of Tom Dooley, 43, at a funeral at Rath Cemetery in Tralee.

The judge at the Central Criminal Court in Cork informed the jury that the case could continue until the end of July. Judge Mary Ellen Ring told the jury that she understood that June and July are popular times for pre-arranged family vacations and that any difficulties they may encounter should be brought to her attention if they are selected to be sworn in as a juror.

Many people – called as potential jurors – then indicated in private conversations with the court judge that they would not be available for the required period and were excused. There have been objections to other potential jurors from attorneys who may do so repeatedly without specifying the reason.

It is expected that the constitution of the jury will not be finalized until Tuesday June 4. So far, six men and one woman have been sworn in to hear the case.

The judge said at the outset that each of the six defendants faced the same charge. Judge Ring said: “The charge against them is that of a murder which occurred on October 5, 2022 at Rath Cemetery in Tralee, County Kerry. These are the important questions you will hear about.

“One of the first witnesses is Siobhán Dooley, also known as Bernadette Siobhán Dooley. She was a McDonagh before she married Mr Dooley. She is originally from Tullamore and now lives from Hazelwood Drive, Killarney.”

The defendants were brought to trial individually and each pleaded not guilty to the murder of Tom Dooley, 43, of Hazelwood Drive, Killarney, at New Rath Cemetery, Rathass, Tralee, on October 5, 2022.

Five defendants in the case – all with the surname Dooley – Patrick, 39, of Arbutus Grove, Killarney; Thomas, 43, from the Carrigrohane Road reception site; Thomas Jnr, 21, of Carrigrohane layoff site, Cork; Michael, 29, of Carrigrohane Reception Site, Cork, and Daniel, 42, of An Carraigin, Connolly Park, Tralee, Co Kerry, will stand trial, as will the sixth defendant, a teenager.

Only Thomas Dooley Jr, 21, faces the second charge of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Siobhán Dooley. There was also a not guilty plea to that charge.