‘The guards won’t be here’
Next door neighbour Alice Farrelly told the Barr Tribunal yesterday she wasn’t afraid of John Carthy, who died in the Abbeylara siege.
The tribunal is investigating events surrounding the siege that ended on April 20, 2000 when members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit shot dead the 27-year-old Co Longford man.
John Carthy was a manic depressive and had a history of mental illness. He was receiving treatment and had spent some time as an in-patient in psychiatric hospitals in Mullingar and Dublin.
When Ms Farrelly called to Carthy’s on the day before the siege, John said: “Alice, the party’s over; there will be no more laughing and the guards won’t be here any more.”
She was surprised at this comment but looking at John she knew he wasn’t well. She told him not to worry. Over the years she had seen him depressed or elated and he appeared to be a bit “high”.
On many occasions he told her about being interviewed in the garda station where he alleged he was abused. It was on his mind a lot, as was being accused of burning a local mascot goat.
Shortly after 5pm on April 19, Ms Farrelly was in a neighbour’s house, two houses from Carthys, when Rose Carthy arrived in a hysterical state and said her son was in the house and firing shots in the air.
Mrs Carthy said she was afraid he’d do harm to himself but Ms Farrelly said she got no impression from Mrs Carthy she was afraid he would do her harm. Mrs Carthy thought it best to call the gardaí.
Asked why they were anxious to leave the Walsh’s house later that evening, Ms Farrelly said it wasn’t because they were fearful of John Carthy but that they would like to be out to see what was going on and if they could be of any help.
Ms Farrelly insisted they told the two guards about John’s psychiatrist Dr David Shanley and that John was due to meet him the following day.
Garda Maeve Gorman, who took the emergency call in Granard station, said Mrs Carthy told her John had a gun and had put her out of the house.
The tribunal continues today.
