Independent probe into Monageer deaths appeals for help from public
The team examining the circumstances leading to the deaths of Adrian, 29, and Ciara Dunne, 25, and their daughters Léan, 5, and Shania, 3, have placed advertisements in regional newspapers asking anyone who thinks they might be of assistance to contact them.
The deaths of the Dunne family have remained the source of much speculation in the past 10 months, with Adrian’s mother Mary Dunne claiming there was outside involvement or influence, and that Adrian couldn’t have single-handedly killed his wife, daughters and himself as he was blind.
Now the inquiry team looking into the deaths wants members of the public who know anything about the lead-up to the tragedy to help them with the investigation.
“If you feel you could be of assistance to the inquiry, we would like to hear from you,” states this week’s advert.
The bodies of the four were found in their rented bungalow in the village of Monageer, near Enniscorthy in Co Wexford, last April, three days after Adrian and Ciara had called to a funeral director’s in New Ross to make funeral arrangements.
While gardaí were notified of the funeral director’s visit that Friday afternoon, the only contact the family had after that was with relatives and a local priest.
There was much criticism in the wake of the tragedy of the response of the HSE, who had no social worker on duty during the weekend, and the gardaí who said they had driven around the estate during the weekend but had not called to the Dunnes’ home.
The report of a national working group which was set up to look at the issue of after-hours social work care in the aftermath of another Wexford tragedy — the death of Sharon Grace and her two daughters in 2005 — has yet to be implemented, with talks continuing between the HSE and unions.
The current inquiry, which was set up by then-Minister for Children, Brian Lenihan, in the days after the discovery of the bodies, is examining a number of areas including services sought by the family, the way public and other relevant services responded, discharged their functions and cooperated with each other.
Work began by the three members of the inquiry on January 7 and is expected to be completed within three months. The members are barrister and former nurse Kate Brosnan, retired assistant Garda commissioner Jim McHugh and Citizens’ Information Board chief-executive Leonie Lunny.
* According to the latest advert, the inquiry team can be contacted in strict confidence and the secretary to the Inquiry may be contacted at 01-6354244 or email MonageerInquiry@health.gov.ie or at Joyce House, 8-11 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2.
