‘She’d be alive today’: Brother of murdered Cork woman speaks out after trial
Daena Walsh
The brother of murdered Cork woman Daena Walsh has said she would be alive today if her family had known about her killer’s criminal history.
Callum Walsh said that, even though Adam Corcoran initially denied any involvement in the 27-year-old’s death, the family had no doubt he was responsible.
He said: “There's no words on this planet to describe what he did. It's just unmanageable, demonic and just horrific.
“We knew damn well he killed her, and we knew from the bottom of our heart that he did it.
“He pleaded not guilty from the start, and when he was in the box, he lied.
“He tried his best to get out of it.”
Although 31-year-old Corcoran denied murdering the mother of two at their home in Midleton on August 2, 2024, he was found guilty of her murder and received the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
He was also given a concurrent 15-year sentence for arson, after the jury unanimously found him guilty of that charge.
Of the moment he eventually admitted killing Daena, Callum recalled: “At first, it was very tense, because the barrister was going at him hard on, and when he admitted it, the room just went silent.
“It's just shocking now.”
Speaking about how the family is coping, Callum — in an interview on — said: “I suppose we just take it, you know, one day at a time.
“We try our best, especially with the two kids. Before the trial was beginning, things were starting to get on.
“But obviously now this has all come back. It’s just back to square one and what Daena had gone through on that day, it is just horrific.”
On Corcoran's previous convictions, he said: “He had 42 previous convictions.
“It's just, it's a huge amount of convictions.
“But the fact is, the time he killed my sister, he was actually out on bail for a previous offense.
“It's just, it's just not right, you know, it's just horrible.”
Presenter Kieran Cuddihy asked him if he thought events might have unfolded differently had the family been aware of those convictions.
He replied: “Definitely. If we had known about the 42 convictions, it would have played out completely differently.”
Following his interview, Jason Poole came on air to offer his condolences to Callum and his family.
He also outlined his campaign for a publicly accessible Register of Judgements, which would allow people to check if a partner or former partner has convictions for domestic violence.
Like Callum, he believes his sister Jennifer Poole would be alive today if she had known about her partner’s past.
It was only during Gavin Murphy’s trial for the 24-year-old’s murder in 2021 that the Poole family learned of his history of violence against women.
He had also been jailed for attacking a former partner and her mother.
Earlier this year, Jason called on justice minister Jim O'Callaghan to name the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences, Domestic Violence) Bill ‘Jennie’s Law’ once enacted.
He said: “It's time reality hits the government at this point, because just as Callum said, you know, if they had been aware of his 42 previous convictions, they will still have Daena with them today.
“This is why, as a family, we've been pushing for a domestic violence register.
“The likes of Daena would have had access to that register.
“Jennifer died in 2021 and we started this process as soon as he was given his life sentence in 2022 and here we are in 2026 still fighting for this legislation.
“Daena would have been saved by this.
“It's a horrific reminder, you know, as Callum has already referred to, this is a life sentence for Callan and his family.
“The thought of Daena not being around every day - that doesn't go away.
“Those two children will never forget their mammy, you know.” He added: “Really, we have to look at the figures again.
“Since 1996, 277 women have died at the hands of violent men and it's getting more and more.
“The numbers are continuing to increase year on year.”
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