Gardaí keeping ‘open mind’ on death of couple in Mayo

Gardaí investigating the deaths of an elderly couple in Mayo have said they are keeping an “open mind” as to what happened.

Tom and Kitty Fitzgerald were both found dead at their home in Knockadoon, Irishtown, a few hundred metres from the Galway border, on Tuesday afternoon.

Their son Paul, who is in his 30s, was also hurt and is being treated for head injuries at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital.

The couple are understood to have suffered extensive injuries and their bodies were removed from the scene yesterday. A postmortem is expected to take place today.

Members of the Garda Technical Bureau were in Irishtown yesterday carrying out an examination of the scene.

Tom Fitzgerald was in his 70s and Kitty Fitzgerald was in her 60s. Mr Fitzgerald ran a painting and decorating business and the couple were very active in the community and local church.

Fr Martin O’Connor said the community was “heartbroken” and had lost “two good friends”.

In terms of the church community, he said Mr Fitzgerald was a eucharistic minister, took up the collection on a rota basis, and was involved in supporting the development of the parish.

“Kitty was involved in the choir. Both of them were involved last Sunday, as it happened, and Kitty was also a sacristan at the local church here for a number of years,” Fr O’Connor told RTÉ.

He described Mr Fitzgerald as being involved in virtually everything that happened in the community.

“Tom was also very much involved in the wider community as well. He was very much a GAA man with Davitt’s, the local club. Any development that was happening in Irishtown, Tom was part of it and, if he wasn’t, Tom was the kind of man who was appreciative of anything that was done to enhance the local community and its environs. He just had that great spirit.

“Both of them were lovely people to talk with also. I always felt the better for having met with and chatted with them. They were always in touch with the news of the day and had their opinions and intelligent conversations.

“But there was also a lovely light quality to them as well in the sense that there was always a bit of fun with them.”

Chief Superintendent Pat Diskin is heading the investigation. He is asking anybody who noticed anything unusual in the Knockadoon area or who had contact with any of the Fitzgeralds between Sunday night and Tuesday to contact the incident room at Claremorris Garda Station on 094 9372080.