Family gathers to weep and embrace after murder-suicide claims brothers in Charleville

As the bright autumnal sunshine faded over the O’Driscoll family home yesterday evening, the set of swings and a trampoline where twins Thomas and Patrick would often have played, stood in grotesque contrast to the Garda tape which surrounded the entrance.

Blue flashing lights from the squad cars lit up the windows behind which their bodies lay.

The house is one which thousands of motorists would stream past at speed every day as it is the long straight road leading out of Charleville on the way to Limerick.

Yesterday, the only cars moving along it were those of the gardaí, who quickly gathered at the scene after the little boys’ bodies were found. They set up a Garda perimeter 100m either side of the crime scene.

At the cordon nearest the house, a group of 30 to 40 family members and friends gathered and spoke and cried in muffled tones. When members of the media approached, many of the crowd eyed them suspiciously, the boys' aunt stepping forward and asking politely whether the media were allowed by law to be there. When she was assured that they were, and that we didn’t want to impinge on them for more than a few minutes, she agreed to comment.

She filled in details about the family’s make-up, saying that the two boys had two brothers and an older brother who was adopted, and that he was believed to be the person whose body had been found in Buttevant. She confirmed that the victims’ parents were close by but did not give any details about them.

However, before she could say any more an older woman, who she called 'Mummy', came from a house nearby and ordered her to stop talking. As the light faded to darkness, many of the group moved into a house a few doors from the O’Driscoll home where they could be seen hugging each other.

Fr. Tom Naughton

Shortly before 7pm, local priest Fr Tom Naughton arrived at the scene and after consulting with gardaí, spoke to the media, telling them that the local community would do all it could to support the grieving family in the days and months ahead.

However, out of deference to the family, he gave no personal details about the family members.

Late last night, gardaí waited for a forensic team to arrive at the scene and there were suggestions that the bodies may be moved from the house, though at time of going to press, that had not happened. For a number of hours after the grim discovery, the roads around Charleville became grid-locked with traffic as gardaí tried to maintain traffic flow on the busy Cork to Limerick road.