1986 revisited: The 'brutal murder' that shocked Kinsale
'Adrienne Murray, from Barracks Green, Kinsale, had gone to a disco at a popular local nightclub on Saturday night and gardaí believe she was attacked on her way home.'
A major murder investigation is under way in Kinsale, Co Cork, following the shocking discovery of the body of a partially-clothed girl in a quiet laneway less than half-a-mile from her home in the small seaside town.
Twenty-year-old Adrienne Murray, from Barracks Green, Kinsale, had gone to a disco at a popular local nightclub on Saturday night and gardaí believe she was attacked on her way home.
Her body, showing injuries to the head, cuts and bruises, was found in the “Back Glen” near her route home at 9.30am.
Locals in Kinsale were horrified as news of the brutal attack spread.
HISTORY HUB
If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading
Adrienne was universally described as a quiet girl, gentle, creative and extremely popular in the community.
She was interested in drama, starred last month [January 1987] in the local pantomime, painted, was interested in local history and wrote historical and creative features for the Kinsale Newsletter. She also played guitar with the local choir.
Adrienne was the eldest daughter of Gussie and Helen Murray, who have two other children, Alan (17) and Lorraine (16). Her father works for the Graepel (perforations) company, Kinsale. The family last night spoke of the sympathy and comfort they had received from neighbours.
The grim discovery was made by Mrs Margaret Santry, a widow living at Sean Hayes Terrace, on her way to 10am Mass.
The body, naked from the waist down, lay exposed on the roadway at the “Back Glen,” about 15 yards from a 20-foot drop from a laneway above.
Articles of the girl’s clothing, including shoes and jeans, were found by gardaí in the laneway above the glen leading to the girl’s home.
The murder investigation is being carried out by Supt Jim Daly from divisional headquarters in Bandon with Sgt Con Kearney from the local station.
The narrow laneway joins the “Back Glen” to Cork Street and Barrack Street, but gardaí last night were unsure if Adrienne had been walking along the lane when the attack took place.
The area at the scene of the attack would have been in complete darkness, local residents said yesterday, and they said the laneway was rarely used at night.
Described by neighbours as tall, dark, slim and good-looking, Adrienne had gone to a disco at “The White Lady” with a group of friends from the work experience course which she was on. Gardai say she was last seen leaving the disco alone during the night and estimate that the attack took place between 2.30 and 3.00 in the morning.
Her home is about one and a half miles from the nightclub which is popular with young locals and visitors from Cork city.
Adrienne's grandmother, Mrs Aherne, who lives near the Murray family in Kinsale, said she first heard of the death yesterday from her neighbour, Mrs. Margaret Santry.
"You'd be wondering, naturally, about whose child it was in your own town," she said last night. The fact that it might be her own granddaughter never occurred to her.
Sustained by a deep sense of religious conviction, Mrs. Aherne spoke of Adrienne's love of life, her love of animals and of her grand-daughter's hopes for the future.
A single Valentine's Day card, sent to Adrienne by a pen-friend, stood in the family's living room, alongside artwork created by the talented youngster. Adrienne, said Mrs. Aherne, was planning to write a play and was due to meet some friends today to collect background details for it.
Tragically, she spoke of her grand-daughter's reluctance to go out dancing with her friends on Saturday because of the cold weather and told of commenting on the dark route home.
- This article was originally published in the Cork Examiner on February 17, 1986
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
