'It’s the devastation and shock of it, the brutality’
Fr Donal Toal said the slaying of Christopher McDonagh was the second gangland murder in the area since March.
“It’s the second one we’ve had in the area and you wonder where it’s going to end up. It’s so callous.
“People, communities, really have to start working together and try and support people and talk to the gardaí.”
Fr Toal of St Peter the Apostle Church in Neilstown, north Clondalkin, had earlier gone to the murder scene at Woodavens, in nearby Ronanstown, and offered his condolences to the parents and sister of the gun victim.
The mother of Mr McDonagh was inconsolable and cried as the priest tried to comfort her.
“I was there to comfort her and to listen to her and the father and the sister. They were very distraught and devastated. They couldn’t really talk. It’s just the devastation and the shock of it, the brutality.”
Fr Toal later walked past an outer Garda cordon and asked the gardaí if he could go over to Mr McDonagh’s body, which still lay on the path outside his house, covered with a forensic tent.
“I went up to bless the body and say some prayers; the mother wanted this.”
He said the sheer violence of the killing shocked him: “It’s just the shock and the brutality of it. A young guy you know, only 27. No one deserves to go that way, whoever they are.”
He said to the killers: “If people could see the damage they caused, the brutality of it all, the pure pointlessness of it all. If they could see the devastation caused to the distraught parents and sisters, just shattered completely.
“They are traumatised for all of their lives. It will never be repaired.”
After blessing the body, Fr Toal went back to the family.
He called on anyone with information to contact the gardaí: “I would appeal to anybody who knows anything or witnessed anything to approach the gardaí, even on their confidential line.”
He said he did not know the family as they were from Crumlin, south Dublin.
At about lunchtime, the mother touched the side window of the ambulance that took her son’s body away from the scene.
She remained inconsolable, but was helped by other family members and relatives.
Neighbours provided them with support.
The family had earlier laid flowers close to the scene.
Garda confidential line: 1800 666 111
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