‘Tom was a gentleman and a Christian with much to offer’

Murdered man Tom O’Gorman was an inoffensive man who would never fall out with anyone, friends said.

The 39-year-old devout Catholic was found dead in the early hours of Sunday at his home in a neighbourhood in Castleknock, Dublin, where he had lived all his life.

Michael Kelly, editor of the Irish Catholic newspaper to which Mr O’Gorman occasionally contributed, said it was surreal to find himself talking about the death.

He said: “The fact that anybody could have a dispute with him or a grudge against him would be unfathomable to me. He loved debate but always in good humour. He was the life and soul.”

David Quinn, director of Catholic think tank the Iona Institute, where Mr O’Gorman worked as a researcher, said he found the news “hard to believe”.

He described his friend and colleague as having a passion for rugby, football, history, and politics, and said the bookshelf in his office at the Iona Institute “groaned with history books”.

“He had lots of opinions and liked a good argument, but he was good fun. He had an offbeat sense of humour and was a fantastic mimic, something he inherited from his dad, I am told. He loved to entertain his friends with his mimicry.”

Mr O’Gorman was named after his father Tom, a vet, who died some years ago.

His mother Ann passed away in Oct 2012, and he continued living alone in the family home in Beechpark Avenue, Castleknock, until taking in a lodger a few months ago.

His younger brother Paul lives in Donegal and his sister Catherine lives in Britain.

Floral tributes were left on his doorstep yesterday as gardaí continued to investigate his final moments.

Mr O’Gorman, who had been a pro-life campaigner since his student days, studied politics and history at University College Dublin before going on to receive a postgraduate qualification in history and a diploma in legal studies.

He worked for a while in UCD and as a researcher for an internet company before moving into journalism in the Catholic press, writing for The Voice Today before it ceased publication.

He wrote for the Iona Institute’s blog and contributed to Catholic publications at home and abroad.

Peadar Láighleis, editor of the Brandsma Review, wrote: “Tom was a gentleman and a Christian, a man who offered much in the past and who had the potential to offer more in the future.”

The Pro-Life Campaign said his death was “a huge shock and a painful loss to everyone in the pro-life movement”.