Cavan woman found dead as son on flight to Australia

Gardaí are to due launch a murder investigation, following the discovery of a 54-year-old woman's body in Co Cavan.

A son of a woman found murdered in her home was on his way to Australia when her body was discovered.

The dead woman has been named locally as Patricia Kierans, a 54-year-old mother of four.

Three of her children have emigrated to Australia. The fourth was on a flight to meet his siblings when his mother was killed, a priest in the town revealed.

An armed man who barricaded himself in a pub in Bailieborough, Co Cavan, after gardaí were alerted to the killing was arrested in the early hours of this morning.

The man was taken to Bailieborough Garda Station for questioning under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.

Gardaí say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the woman's death.

The remains were located in a house in the Drumbannon estate on the outskirts of Baileborough, Co. Cavan, after an armed man barricaded himself in a bar in the town.

A nine-hour stand-off, involving armed officers from the Emergency Response Unit, came to an end at around 3am this morning.

Garda spokesperson, Superintendent David Taylor, is appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

“It’s a time like this that it’s the four adult children I would be concerned about. Three of them are in Australia and one of them was on his flight when this happened,” curate Father Oliver O’Reilly told RTE.

“To face this on such a long journey home is awful. My thoughts and prayers are with them all.”

Armed gardaí and the army were forced to seal off streets in Bailieborough town centre from about 8pm last night after a man carrying a firearm was found in the Square Bar, where he is a regular.

Gardaí had appealed for a blackout on reporting of the incident when the alarm was first raised and requested media not to disclose details for several hours during the siege.

Locals reported that the man had barricaded himself in the pub.

Armed gardaí were deployed to the street outside the pub for several hours and it is also understood that trained negotiators were called in to try to bring the siege to an end.

People living in the town centre were asked to remain in their homes during the incident and traffic was diverted around the town.

Ms Kierans’ body was discovered at a house on the Drumbannon estate – 10 minutes away from the pub where the siege took place – before the armed man was discovered.

The scene has been preserved for technical investigation and the state pathologist is expected to carry out a post-mortem examination.

It is understood the arrested man was holed up in the pub for around eight hours.

After the siege ended peacefully, the man was taken to Bailieborough Garda Station under the provisions of Section 50 of the Criminal Justice sAct 2007.

The pub has also been preserved for technical examination.

Gardaí have appealed for anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious in Drumbannon to come forward.