Mother beaten to death

DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a mother-of-two in her home believe she struggled bravely with the attacker before being beaten to death.

The house, in rural north Co Dublin, appeared to have been ransacked and investigators initially believed Rachel O’Reilly was attacked after disturbing a burglar.

Detectives are still investigating that possibility but believe much of the damage to the house was caused during the violent struggle.

They are checking whether any items were stolen from the house.

A post mortem carried out on the 30-year-old mother of two sons, aged three and five, confirmed she died from severe head injuries.

She was attacked some time after returning home from dropping off her young children at a crèche and at school at about 9.30am on Monday.

Her body was discovered inside the door of one of the bedrooms of the bungalow, near the village of Naul.

Ms O’Reilly’s mother Rose Callaly raised the alarm after discovering the body at about 1.30pm on Monday. She had been asked to check on Ms O’Reilly after she failed to collect her children.

Staff at the crèche alerted Ms O’Reilly’s husband Joe, who then phoned his mother-in-law and asked her to go to the house.

Superintendent Tom Gallagher, from Balbriggan station, has appealed to anyone who may have been in the area between 9.30am and 1.30pm to come forward.

“We are appealing to members of the public who were in the Baldarragh area near the Nag’s Head and Hollywood Great between Ballyboughal and Naul to contact us,” he said.