Gardaí expected to launch murder probe as Macroom victim named locally

Michael Foley, 61, was found with apparent head and facial injuries, in the kitchen of his house

A Garda search team working at Lucey's Lane after the body of Michael Foley was found on Tuesday at Annville, Macroom Co. Cork. Picture Larry Cummins

Gardaí are poised to launch a murder investigation today following the discovery of a man, who it’s suspected was beaten to death in his sheltered housing accommodation, in Cork.

Michael Foley, 61, who was originally from Clonakilty in West Cork, was found lying in a pool of blood, with apparent head and facial injuries, in the kitchen of his house at Annville — a sheltered housing development in the heart of Macroom at around lunchtime yesterday.

Gardaí were called and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is the second tragedy to hit the Foley family in recent years.

Michael Foley’s younger brother Timmy was stabbed to death in a house, also in Macroom, in 2018. He was 44.

Timmy’s ex-wife Rita O’Driscoll, who was then aged 49, of Bridge St, Bandon, Co Cork, was convicted in 2020 of his murder at Dan Corkery Place, Macroom, Co Cork, on October 8, 2018.

She was sentenced to the mandatory life sentence.

She had claimed she had acted in self-defence, and later appealed the conviction handed down by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon at the Central Criminal Court in Cork, in October 2020.

Her appeal was subsequently dismissed.

The Court of Appeal ruled that it was satisfied that, in all circumstances, the trial judge’s rulings had been “unimpeachable”.

Michael Foley.

Yesterday, Michael Foley’s house, in a small complex of homes off Lucey’s Lane, was sealed off and preserved for a forensic and technical examination to be conducted.

Gardaí conducted door-to-door inquiries in the area, and have also begun harvesting CCTV footage from nearby premises in a bid to determine the man's last known movements and to identify who he may have been associating with in the hours and days before his body was discovered.

The Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster and a local doctor, visited the scene just after 7pm on Tuesday to conduct a preliminary examination of the body where it was found.

It is understood that initial examinations did not find any evidence of forced entry to the property.

An autopsy is due to take place at Cork University Hospital on Wednesday. 

Gardaí said the results of the autopsy will determine the course of their investigation.

However, it is expected that it will be upgraded to a murder inquiry.

Gardaí are also trying to establish if anything was missing and whether robbery was a motive for the suspected assault.

Neighbour Tim Horgan speaking to reporters at the scene. A Garda cordon remains in position at Annville, off Lucey's Lane, Macroom Co Cork where the body of 61-year-old Michael Foley was discovered on Tuesday. Picture: Larry Cummins

One of his neighbours, Tim Horgan, who has lived in Annville for just over three years, said he had not seen Michael for a few days and called to his house on Tuesday morning to check on him.

“I went up to the house and knocked on the door to see if he was there and the curtains were closed, normally the curtains are open,” he said.

“As I was going away, I met his key worker and she opened the door and went in and saw him on the floor and said ‘I think he’s dead — I better call the guards or an ambulance’.

“It was a shock alright.

“He was a character, a wild kind of a fella but there was no harm in him. 

“He loved life. He used to love going off to the shops to do a shopping and to go out for a few drinks. He was grand. He was a grand pleasant fella to know.” 

Despite some neighbours suggesting that there had been a number of wild drink parties in the house previously, Mr Horgan said he heard nothing unusual or suspicious in the complex on Monday night.

Pat O’Connell of the Macroom Senior Citizens group, which runs a complex and a residential facility alongside Anville, said the town has been shocked by the death.

“We did express concerns to Cork County Council about some of the people who were visiting that complex in recent months,” he said.

A Garda search team working at Lucey's Lane after the body of Michael Foley was found on Tuesday at Annville, Macroom Co. Cork. Picture Larry Cummins

Mr Foley's sister Mary O'Driscoll said his death was "devastating".

"It’s just all too hard to take in at once," she told RTÉ.

She said Mr Foley moved to Macroom after their brother's death and he had drawn comfort from living where Timmy had lived.

"Grief is something you never get over," she added. "We're still in grief from our brother. It's like a living disability. You never get over grief."

Gardaí investigating Michael Foley‘s death appealed to anyone with any information to contact Macroom Garda station on 026 20590, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.