Doneraile hurler testifies from Canada he saw 17-year-old murder accused throwing objects over wall

Witness, who played on the winning Doneraile hurling team, told trial he heard teenager and man who was with him screaming and roaring as they came towards town but it was not possible to make out what they were saying

Barry Daly was found dead in Doneraile on October 12, 2025.

A witness in the Doneraile murder trial testified by video link from Canada on Thursday he heard screaming and roaring and then saw the 17-year-old who is accused of murder and a man who was with him throwing something over a wall into the park.

Steven Ryan, who played on the winning Doneraile hurling team on October 11, 2025, gave evidence of what he saw after pub closing time in the early hours of last October 12.

Mr Ryan saw Alex Deady strike a teenager outside Eily’s pub by punching him into the face: “It kind of erupted after that. A number of people tried to intervene. I was trying to stay away and mind my girlfriend… Alex had no top, no tee-shirt.” 

He testified he saw Alex Deady and the 17-year-old afterwards swinging golf clubs on to the ground. People were trying to calm it down, to stop it from escalating but he said they didn’t succeed in calming them.

Mr Ryan said Alex and the teenager went towards the top of the town towards the Mallow Road. The witness was walking home with his girlfriend, Sally McCarthy, and his sister was going to pick them up and drive them home.

Some minutes later, he saw Alex and the teenager coming back down towards the town. He said they were screaming and roaring but it was not possible to make out what they were saying.

“They came around the corner throwing some objects over the wall. We were just keeping our heads down, keeping out of the way. They were coming towards the town,” Mr Ryan said.

Prosecution senior counsel Lorcan Staines asked could he make out what they were saying and he replied: “From such a distance, no”. 

Mr Staines asked him if he saw them throwing anything. He said he saw Alex and the 17-year-old throwing something over the wall into Doneraile Park but could not make out what was thrown.

Sally McCarthy also testified by video link from Canada she saw the late Barry Daly outside Eily’s Bar. She said she did not see a physical fight but did see the deceased trying to get another person away from the situation.

Later, she saw people trying to stop Alex and the teenager going in the direction of Barry Daly’s house. Some time after that, she heard roaring and shouting. She got a bit nervous and turned her head into Mr Ryan’s shoulder: “They were screaming. I didn’t want to be associated with them. I just wanted to go home in that moment.” 

The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified as he is a juvenile, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of 44-year-old Barry Daly at Rockview Terrace in Doneraile on October 12, 2025. He is on trial before Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford and a jury of six men and six women at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.

DVDs of Garda interviews with the defendant were played on Tuesday and Wednesday, more were played on Thursday, and further evidence of his interviews will be given on Friday when the trial continues.