Libel witness puts her Schull home on market

A KEY witness in the Ian Bailey libel trial, Marie Farrell, who this October withdrew her key allegations against Mr Bailey, is to sell her recently-built family home in Schull.

The Farrell family are set to leave West Cork and the house they have been building over the past year. It is understood that they are moving up the country.

Housewife and mother of four children Ms Farrell had previously testifed that she saw Ian Bailey on Kealfadda Bridge on the night that Sophie Toscan du Plantier was murdered, nine years ago. The French woman’s body was found on December 23, 1996. Nobody was ever charged with the killing.

However, Marie Farrell who gave testimony during a lengthy libel trial in 2003, taken by Mr Bailey against a number of newspapers, has since claimed that important aspects of statements she made then regarding Schull resident the English-born journalist Ian Bailey to the gardaí were false. A garda examination has been set up and is on-going following her withdrawal of the bridge sighting claims.

Now, Ms Farrell’s family home in the seaside and harbour village of Schull, newly built by her husband Chris with direct labour input, is to be sold.

It has up to 3,000 sq ft of space, and is in a developing estate of serviced sites on the Ardmanagh Road. With some exterior work yet to complete, it has just been placed on the market, for sale with a price guide just shy of €500,000 quoted by Swanton Properties in Ballydehob.

Located at no 11 Ard Chleire, within a half mile walk of Schull, it has six bedrooms.

A large dormer, it has spacious areas that include a 19’ by 14’ living room, even larger kitchen/dining room, utility and ground floor bedroom with bay window, and en suite bathroom, as well as five upper floor bedrooms, one with en suite, plus main bathroom.

Bay windows feature across the facade, and the upper rooms have sea, harbour and island views, with distant glimpses of Cape Clear.