Motive for gun death of farmer and wife puzzles gardaí

GARDAÍ in Roscommon are baffled over the reason why a local farmer shot his wife dead before committing suicide on Sunday evening.

After talking to family and friends of Brian Flynn and his wife Ann, detectives were last night unable to establish any probable motive for the tragic double death.

The bodies of the couple, both aged 58, were discovered by their son Brian at their home in Donamon, Co Roscommon, at around 7pm on Sunday.

It is believed neighbours became aware of some disturbance at the house a short time earlier and alerted local gardaí, who asked Brian Flynn Jnr to return to the house where he lived with his parents.

He discovered the body of his mother in the kitchen of their two-storey traditional farmhouse in Donamon, around seven miles from Roscommon town. Mr Flynn’s body was found in a hallway at the rear of the building with a shotgun nearby. Both corpses were discovered with a single bullet wound to the head.

Results of a post mortem conducted by assistant State pathologist Dr Declan Gilsenan at Roscommon Hospital are expected to confirm Mr Flynn killed his wife using a legally-held shotgun before turning it on himself.

Inspector Paul Glynn of Roscommon garda station said a preliminary examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau made it highly unlikely that anybody else would be sought in relation to the incident.

Detectives are attempting to trace the final movements of the couple on Sunday in a bid to find out what caused the row which resulted in the two deaths.

The family home is located across the road from the centre of the religious order, Divine Word Missionaries, where Ms Flynn had attended Mass early on Sunday morning.

Local people were reluctant to speculate on the motive for the killing and some journalists were requested to leave the area around the Flynn home by residents of Donamon.

One local man, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s hard to believe that this kind of incident has happened on our doorstep.

“They were a lovely couple who were very popular in the area. It’s hard to think of any reason why something like this should happen.”

Any suggestion that there were problems in the marriage were also dismissed.

Inspector Glynn said the community in Donamon was deeply shocked at the death of the couple as there was no apparent explanation for the tragic events. He said the family were well-known and well-liked.

The couple’s two sons and daughter were yesterday being comforted by relatives and friends.

Mr Flynn was a part-time farmer as well as a lorry driver with a local building firm. He also worked as a bouncer at Rockford’s nightclub at the Royal Hotel in Roscommon.

The family issued a request to the media to allow them space to grieve and respect their privacy at the funeral of their parents which is expected to take place later this week.

The Flynns’ children also thanked their friends and neighbours in Donamon for their messages of support and condolences.