Gardaí arrest man in murder inquiry
The man, who is in his early 20s was arrested yesterday afternoon in Gort which is about 11km from where the body of the widower was found by his son in the living room of his two-storey farmhouse at Ballinduff on Wednesday morning.
Last night gardaí mounted roadblocks on the main N18 Galway-Limerick road and quizzed people in cars.
Fr Richie Higgins said the death of the popular man had “devastated” the community and he urged the public to play their part in catching those responsible.
“If people out there know who it is or are in anyway connected, they have an obligation to the community and to make it known to the gardaí, whatever it is,” he said.
“They should have a conscience about all this. To destroy a man and a family for the sake of a few euros, the way it was done, it is devastating.”
Fr Higgins is due to celebrate the 12th anniversary Mass for the murdered man’s wife Cissie Fahy next Tuesday.
“He was very close to his wife, and hit very hard by her sudden death due to a heart attack. She had taught in the local school and was a wonderful teacher.
“He would come into Mass every Saturday at 5.30pm, light two or three candles and chat to friends. He loved talking to people, but he was also a private man.
“He has brothers and sisters in Galway, including Sister Ida in the Mercy Convent, and he lost one brother a few years ago. The family was very involved in hurling and football, and he was everybody’s friend,” he added.
“Finbar Fahy was a wonderful man, a wonderful storyteller, and a man identified by his way of life – using the bicycle to go to the shop in the morning to get bread, and to visit the cemetery.
“There’s a terrible sadness here now. We have 700 families in this parish.
“Earlier this year, we were celebrating the first ordination of a priest here in 50 years, but now we are devastated and there is emptiness in our hearts,” he said.
Mr Fahy’s funeral is not expected for several days. His three sons, Noel, Aidan and Gerry, are involved in farming. They live nearby and were being comforted by neighbours.
Gardaí have begun following up to 150 lines of inquiry as a result of the public response to date, according to Garda Press Officer Supt John Gilligan.
A postmortem exam found that Mr Fahy had sustained head injuries due to blunt force trauma. He had sustained defensive wounds on the arms and hands.
“We have to establish a motive,” said Supt Gilligan, responding to reports that Mr Fahy may have been the victim of an attempted robbery.
An incident room has been set up at Gort Garda Station 091-636432. Gardaí can also be contacted on the Confidential Line 1800 666111.
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