'You didn't just take my dad's life. You took our future with him': Life imprisonment after Macroom murder trial
Daniel Hourigan, left, from Farranree in Cork, was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for the murder of Michael Foley, right, in Macroom in February 2024.
The daughter of murder victim Michael Foley told his killer in court on Thursday that he had stolen her family's future, saying: "You didn't just take my dad's life. You took our future with him."
Addressing Daniel Hourigan directly, Caroline Foley said: "You took birthdays he should have celebrated with his grandchildren. You took Christmas mornings. You took family dinners. You took phone calls that will never come. You took advice that will never be given. You took the chance for him to watch his grandchildren grow into adults. You stole every memory that should have been."
Hourigan, aged 33, originally from Farranree in Cork, was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for the murder of Mr Foley, 61, at his home in Annville, Barrett's Place, Macroom, on February 1, 2024.
Ms Foley said of her late father: “You were taken from us because you chose kindness over suspicion, compassion over judgment, and generosity over selfishness.
“You deserved to grow old. You deserved more birthdays. More Christmases. More time with your daughters and your grandchildren. You deserved so much more.
“We cannot bring you back, but we can promise you this: We will never stop speaking your name. We will never stop honouring your life. We will never stop loving you. And we will never allow you to be remembered for the way you died. You will always be remembered for the incredible man you were. We love you, Dad.”
When Hourigan and his companion Linda O’Flynn left the house at Annville at around 11am on February 1, 2024, to get the bus back to Cork city, Michael Foley was dying but was not dead.
Detective Sergeant Danielle Hegarty said Neringa Stalioniene, aged 43 — a platonic friend of the late Michael Foley — called to the deceased’s house at 12.32pm on February 1 and he was still alive.
“I opened the door, It was not locked. I thought he would be sleeping or still drinking. The first sound I heard when I entered was he shouted to get out of my house. He sounded very very drunk. It sounded like something in his throat. I didn’t see him. I did not go further than one step into the house because he is landlord and I didn’t want any confrontation with him.
"I didn’t hear anyone in the house this time. I think the TV was on in the background. I closed the door and left the house.”
His body was not discovered until February 5 when a nurse called to check on him. Psychiatric nurse Ciara Harmon found him lying dead in a pool of blood on the floor of his kitchen/living room.
Friends of the late Mr Foley said he had a long-term drink problem but that with some support in managing his medical appointments and related matters, he managed to live independently, had pride in his appearance, and always kept his house tidy.
Ms Harmon said Mr Foley moved into his home at Macroom in October 2022 and had the assistance of a care team in accommodation that was managed by the Simon Community through Cork County Council.
She said he invited people struggling to find accommodation to stay at his home, both to support them and for the sake of companionship.
Dr Margaret Bolster, the assistant State pathologist, said the injuries could have been inflicted by the long carving knife.
Dr Bolster said the wounds that she found on Mr Foley included 11 stab wounds, five of which were to the left arm, four to the chest, one to the abdomen, and one to the thigh. Describing the 19 slash or incised wounds, Dr Bolster said 12 were to the forehead and seven were to the left elbow and arm.
One of the stab wounds pierced Mr Foley’s right lung leading to its collapse and one of the slash wounds penetrated his skull and caused the loss of a lot of blood. She said there was no evidence any one slash wound alone caused death in this case. She said it was a combination of all the stab and slash injuries that led to Mr Foley's death.
“Slash wounds and stab wounds led to extensive haemorrhage and death,” she said.
A trial last November saw Hourigan and Ms O’Flynn both charged with murder, which they denied. In effect, each one said that it was other person who carried out the murder and that their crime was effectively trying to cover up what the other had done.
Midway through that trial, the prosecution and defence agreed that Ms O’Flynn could be rearraigned and at that stage the DPP accepted that she acted to protect “another person” but did not accept the same approach by Hourigan.
Therefore he faced the latest trial alone and was eventually found guilty of murder.
Jane Hyland SC, prosecuting, told the court that during a number of garda interviews, Hourigan's account was aimed not at protecting Ms O'Flynn but at protecting himself.
Counsel said Hourigan removed the murder weapon from Mr Foley's home following the killing and noted that his palmprint was found in the deceased's blood inside the house.
Ms Hyland said that whatever triggered the killing of Mr Foley, it occurred "in a flash".
Ray Boland SC, defending, referred to a video recording of Ms O'Flynn's Garda interviews and said: "She goes from zero to terrifying in no time at all. Out of nowhere she starts screaming, first at her own solicitor and then at the guards. It is like something out of ."
Detective Sergeant Danielle Hegarty told the court that Hourigan had 58 previous convictions. These included offences relating to drug possession and drug dealing, six convictions for possession of knives, two for attempted robbery, and one for assault.
Mr Boland said Hourigan had experienced periods of homelessness and had struggled with alcohol and drug addiction.
He said he had instructions to appeal the murder conviction, as it was not accepted by Hourigan. He said he was remorseful for bringing Ms O’Flynn to the deceased’s house.
Ms Justice Lankford said: “The quality of the garda investigation was of the first order.”
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