‘The whole thing is a terrible shock to the system’
Behind him the large farm sheds continued to smoulder, the corrugated roof of the largest shed cut in half after collapsing. Large sheets of metal on the remaining roof twisted and rattled in the wind.
“He loved his horses,” said a local passing by, talking in short sentences, still in shock at the terrible tragedy that had hit this small rural community in Carlow.
“He had one horse that he ran. It won a couple of races it did. The whole thing is a terrible shock to the system.”
The local moved along, head bowed, as the heavy mist continued to fall, blocking out the sweeping view that George Rothwell once enjoyed from his Georgian home.
Ballycormick House, boasting a couple of hundred acres, has been in the Rothwell family for generations and is a protected structure dating from 1830.
Mr Rothwell, 71, never married and lived in the house, a few miles outside Bagenalstown, on his own. The home lies just 200m off a narrow road, flanked by age-old trees. The entrance sweeps up to the double-storey pile.
People outside the entrance to the home are told the farm is a “game sanctuary” and that “no shooting” is allowed.
The sign highlights the cruel irony of the tragedy that occurred in the early hours of yesterday when Mr Rothwell was shot dead and three of his sheds set on fire.
His apparent killer, Michael Jordan, his brother-in-law, then returned to his neighbouring home, where he took his own life in an outhouse.
His wife — Mr Rothwell’s sister, Hilda — was in the house and awoke early in the morning when she noticed her husband was missing.
The row appeared to stem from a land dispute, possibly over a refusal of Mr Rothwell to allow Mr Jordan build a home on his property.
“I knew them all, George and Hilda Rothwell and Michael Jordan,” said a friend to both families.
“They were born and reared there, near enough neighbours.”
He described both men as “very decent” and that Mr Rothwell was a “bit of a character” who used to be a saxophone player in the Rolettes showband decades ago. He said he loved horses. “He used to ride horses. George always had horses. He loved them. He ran them and won a few races.”
He said both men cared deeply for their animals and said it was an added tragedy that some of the livestock also lost their lives.
“They were ordinary people. No one knows what went wrong. Something obviously did go wrong.
“There was some talk locally that there might have been a dispute over land, but no one thought this would happen.”
Another local, who knew Mr Rothwell, also said there was a dispute over land and Mr Jordan wanted to build a house on the property.
“George was a terrible decent man and his sister, Hilda, was a very nice woman. It’s hard to believe.”
Church of Ireland Dean the Revered Tom Gordan came to the scene briefly yesterday: “This is a very close-knit community. It’s a very tragic event. People are finding it difficult to take on board. People are in deep shock.”
Local councillor Arthur McDonald said: “It’s a huge tragedy. It is being taken very, very badly by all the people locally, friends and neighbours. I’m very sorry for both families.”
