Meath man convicted of Cork manslaughter with hurley

A 47-year-old man has been convicted of killing a Cork mother of three with a hurley at her home on Easter Sunday last year.

Meath man Derrick Daly with an address at St Vincent's Hostel in Cork city was cleared of murder but convicted of the manslaughter of Catherine Smart on April 4, last year.

It took the jury over seven hours to reach a majority verdict convicting Derrick Daly of the manslaughter of his friend and housemate Catherine Smart.

On the morning of Easter Sunday last year he placed a 999 call with emergency services after striking the mother of three on the head at least five times with a hurley.

He gave several accounts to gardaí of having left the house early that day to visit a local Lidl shop and then returning approximately 25 minutes later to find her dead.

Daly agreed he was an alcoholic but denied that he had had a blackout or that they had been arguing.

He will be sentenced on July 18.