Gardaí appeal for help in pub murder
Gardaí say they are keeping an open mind on the circumstances which led to the murder of the popular local, who ran Kenny’s pub in the town.
Oughterard, which enjoys an angling tourism industry because of its proximity to Lough Corrib, and is also as a gateway to Connemara, was busy on Saturday.
Gardaí say that while there was no CCTV at the pub, they hope tourists may have recorded something out of the ordinary if they were using a camcorder on Saturday.
Detectives have been looking at CCTV footage in their investigation of the death of the 56-year-old.
Superintendent Noel Kelly said the investigation was upgraded to murder when an autopsy by state pathologist Marie Cassidy found Mr Kenny had died as a result of injuries sustained during an assault.
His body was found at 6pm on Sunday in the pub by his daughter Gillian.
Mr Kenny’s hands were tied behind his back and he was found in a locked ground-floor room towards the rear of the premises, where he lived upstairs.
Supt Kelly said: “We have a large team currently investigating this murder at the moment, and that has been augmented by a team from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation from Dublin.
“In addition to that, we need the assistance of the public. We are appealing to the public in relation to anything they may have seen in the vicinity of Kenny’s Bar or on the Main Street in Oughterard, any time between the hours of 11.30pm and 4am on Sunday.
“We are particularly interested if people noticed anything out of the normal for Oughterard, if they noticed any strangers in the vicinity on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
“We are particularly interested if people noticed anyone with marks on them that would be consistent with being in a fight.”
An incident room has been set up at Oughterard Garda Station.
“We are following a few different lines of inquiry. The investigation is at an early stage. We have interview a lot of people at this stage in relation to witnesses,” said Supt Kelly.
“The family are very upset. I was with the family last night and we have a garda appointed there as a family liaison officer to keep close contact with the family and to inform them of the progress with the investigation and to give them any assistance we can.
“We are currently checking CCTV at various locations both inside and outside of Oughterard, and we are also keen to talk to tourists who may have been using a camcorder or camera in the town over the weekend.”
* Contact Oughterard gardaí on 091 557320.
