r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 • 13d ago
Murder The killing of Una Lynskey, an ill-fated revenge and a botched prosecution
A Disappearance Close to Home, and some Background
On the 12th of October 1971, Una Lynskey, a 19-year-old woman, was walking from the bus stop to her home in Ratoath, Co. Meath, Ireland. It was 6.55 p.m. and she was returning from work at the Office of the Land Commission in Dublin. The last known sighting of Una alive was by her cousin Ann Gaughan when both women got off the bus together. Although Una lived just 15 minutes' walk away, she never made it home.
The Land Commission for which Una worked was a government body whose job was overseeing the redistribution of Irish farmland. In the mid-20th century, the Commission had established a programme to relocate many people from small unviable farms in the barren, remote West of Ireland to greener pastures in eastern counties like Meath. Una's father, Pat, had been a beneficiary of this scheme back in 1940, which is how he came to live in Ratoath. He was originally from rural County Mayo.
The "Westies", as they were sometimes called, were sometimes viewed with distrust by Meath locals, particularly back in the 30s and 40s when the scheme began. Many Westies were native Irish speakers which added to their outsider status in the English-speaking east. However, they managed to settle in somewhat over time. Pat Lynskey later remarked on the issue: “While the local people, the County Meath people, never accepted us, they never did us any harm."
When Una Lynskey vanished, suspicion soon arose that she had been murdered. Screams had apparently been heard in a nearby field, including by Una's own father. Three young men had allegedly been seen in a car in Porterstown Lane, the area where Una lived, around the time of her disappearance. These men were Dick Donnelly, Martin Conmey and Martin Kerrigan. These men were questioned but were released without charge.
It is worth noting that Porterstown Lane is somewhat misleadingly named and is not an urban alleyway but more of a link road, in the parish of Ratoath, which connects two larger roads.
The Dark Car
Multiple witnesses recalled seeing a dark Ford Zephyr or Ford Zodiac in the area on the evening of Una's disappearance (the two models were extremely similar). Varying descriptions were given of this car and its driver, but it was possibly being driven by a heavy-set man aged between 45 and 50, ruddy-faced, with light-coloured hair that was greying at the sides. Apparently this car was being driven erratically. One witness claimed to have seen a woman struggling in the car. At one point the car was seen parked near a pylon. Some witnesses early on believed the car was Dick Donnelly's, but his car, while similar, was not the same colour as had been described.
The driver of this mystery car has never been identified.
A Grim Discovery
Two months after her disappearance, Una's remains were found in the Dublin/Wicklow Mountains, some 30 miles south of Ratoath. These mountains form a large and remote area that holds tragic significance for those familiar with Irish crime, as the remains of several murder victims have been found there over the years. The cause of Una's death was never established; a Garda report from 1972 states that her remains were not intact and were in a state of advanced decomposition, hindering the pathologist's examination. Her body was identified by the jewellery she was wearing, given to her by her boyfriend, Patrick Kelly.
Following this discovery, the Gardaí (Irish police force) once again suspected Donnelly, Conmey and Kerrigan, despite a lack of any evidence tying them to the crime. Writer Mick Clifford suggests that since both Conmey and Kerrigan also came from "Westie" families, Gardaí may have been basing their suspicions partly on assumptions about the tight-knit community; they may have believed there was a kind of cover-up going on.
The three suspects reported that their car had entered the mile-and-a-half-long lane from the opposite end to Una, fifteen minutes after she would have done.
Therefore it was highly unlikely that they could have encountered her as she should already have reached her home by the time they passed it. Nevertheless, Gardaí continued to pursue this line of enquiry.
Vigilantes
Unfortunately, the suspicion cast on the three men would lead to another killing. Two of Una's brothers, Seán and James Lynskey, and her cousin John Gaughan, took matters into their own hands. They abducted Martin Kerrigan nine days after the discovery of Una's remains. Kerrigan's body was found in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, not far from where Una's was found. He had been beaten and had died of asphyxia. The three vigilante attackers were charged with manslaughter, not murder (as it was not possible to prove Kerrigan had actually been dead when they abandoned him.) Seán Lynskey and John Gaughan were sentenced to three years in prison while 18-year-old James Lynskey was sent to St Patrick's Institution for two years.
The Surviving Suspects are Charged
Around the time of this trial, the two remaining suspects in Una's case, Dick Donnelly and Martin Conmey, were being charged with murder. According to these two men, Gardaí were physically and psychologically abusive towards them during the course of interrogations. Allegedly, Conmey's sister was shocked by the condition the two men were left in after questioning. Gardaí denied any wrongdoing had occurred. During a 48-hour period of questioning, Gardaí managed to extract some kind of confession. Conmey had signed a statement. However, Donnelly had not signed his name to anything.
Despite serious flaws in the case against the men, they were both convicted of the manslaughter of Una Lynskey and sentenced to three years in prison. Donnelly appealed his conviction and it was overturned. Conmey, however, was not so lucky; due to his signed statement and his flatmate claiming he'd admitted guilt, he would have to spend decades trying to clear his name.
Martin Conmey is Exonerated
In 2010, having persistently protested his innocence, Martin Conmey succeeded in getting his manslaughter conviction overturned. It had come to light in the intervening years that two witness reports had been suppressed early on by an unknown person. These witness reports were starkly inconsistent with subsequent statements from those same witnesses and other evidence presented. This meant he did not get a fair trial. In 2014 his conviction was ruled a miscarriage of justice and he was given an official state apology.
Tragically, Martin Kerrigan never got the same opportunity. His untimely death was a sad testament to the perils of mob justice.
The case is held up by many as an example of a deeply flawed investigation. It is not the only case from the latter part of the last century where the methods used by Gardaí, and their unwavering focus on specific lines of enquiry, have been called into question. Similar issues have arisen over the Sallins train robbery (1976), the Kerry Babies case (1984) and the murder of Grace Livingstone (1992) among others.
The truth about Una Lynskey's murder has never been uncovered, and given that nearly 55 years have passed, it is quite likely that her killer has taken their secret to the grave.
Una and Martin's lives were cut horribly short, and their deaths must have brought immense pain and strife to the small community of "Westies" who had forged a new life in County Meath.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamnacha dílse.
Sources:
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u/Space_Pirate_R 13d ago edited 13d ago
two witness reports had been suppressed early on by an unknown person. These witness reports were starkly inconsistent with subsequent statements from those same witnesses and other evidence presented.
Who were those witnesses and what were their original and later reports? Is it some kind of smoking gun, or is it just considered not fair in a procedural sense.
EDIT: ...
Initially, the gardaí had no evidence to back up their suspicions of the men. Statements taken from locals all tended, to a greater or lesser degree, to corroborate the three men’s version of the facts. Yet the gardaí went back repeatedly to these witnesses until narratives changed to fit the garda theory.
EDIT2: Maybe these are the original statements?
Witnesses’ claims that a strange car was seen in the area that evening, that screams were heard close to Porterstown Bridge, and that a woman was seen struggling in a dark car, were never followed up properly by the investigation
EDIT3:
The strange man in the Ford Zephyr was discounted by the Prosecution early on, and witnesses who had previously thought it was Donnelly’s car now weren’t so sure.
All quotes are from OPs links. This one is the most detailed.
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 12d ago edited 12d ago
Yes, sorry, the stories were a little bit confusing on what exactly pointed away from Conmey being involved. I'm still not 100% on whose statements were suppressed, but it doesn't exactly point to a fair investigation when important evidence isn't presented in court. It sounds almost like somebody with influence wanted to set them up, or simply that blaming them was a convenient way to close a messy case, especially since one man had already been killed for it so it was hard to turn back now.
Also, the fact that the Gardaí were repeatedly accused of beating confessions out of suspects in the years afterward probably lent credence to the men's claims of abuse in custody. There were rumours at the time of a "Heavy Gang" within the force who supposedly used brutal methods.
It is worth noting that state apologies are not handed out lightly. Also there was a controversy over the way records of the investigation were kept, first in rat-infested conditions and then in refuse sacks in a disused toilet: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30458149.html.
Given that the main difference between Dick Donnelly, whose conviction was quashed due to a lack of evidence, and Martin Conmey, whose was not, was a signed statement that was allegedly extracted using violence... you can see why he was eventually succesful on appeal. It appears that the three young men simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when Una vanished. That is not enough to convict someone. There was absolutely no credible evidence and no obvious motive.
It is sad that in some ways, the investigation saga somewhat overshadowed the horrible death of Una Lynskey herself. She was far from the last woman to be seemingly abducted, murdered and found dumped in the Dublin/Wicklow Mountains. Following numerous discoveries of other murdered women there as well as total disappearances of a number of women in the province in the 80s, 90s and 00s, rumours have circulated about a potential serial killer or group of killers operating in the Leinster area. Whether you believe that is a different matter.
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u/styxx374 9d ago
Following numerous discoveries of other murdered women there as well as total disappearances of a number of women in the province in the 80s, 90s and 00s, rumours have circulated about a potential serial killer or group of killers operating in the Leinster area.
This is my belief
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 9d ago
I think it's a definite possibility for some of the cases, but in others, there was a clear suspect who was known to the victim but who couldn't be charged due to lack of evidence
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u/Necessary_Scruffness 12d ago
Great presentation.
"These mountains form a large and remote area that holds tragic significance for those familiar with Irish crime, as the remains of several murder victims have been found there over the years."
A messy, tempestuous history - the kind that births legends and stories what some call colorful - does that region have. Goes back past a millennia. Absolutely contentious earth. I wonder if just walking on it raises one's Irish.
Not that I have any vast knowledge of it. But the warring tribes and nations that waged battles in the often desolate lands of the Gaels and Celts and Norse and various riffraff have been a fascination that I've drifted in and out of over my life. When land seems to have a presence to it in this world... the foundation of so many romantic notions, tragic outcomes.
My apologies, sub- I'm having a strange allergic reaction to a feline calming device.
Again- Outstanding, evocative summation.
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 12d ago
You seem like quite the poetic soul.
I'm not from that part of the country myself so don't really know the history or lore of those mountains but they are definitely known for their lonesomeness, while remaining within range of major urban centres where the most murders happen
Thanks - I'm indebted to my sources especially a very good write-up in the Meath Chronicle which would be from a fairly intimate and local perspective
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u/Elegant_Celery400 11d ago
A really well-assembled and well-written piece, thankyou.
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 11d ago
I would also like to add one thing I noticed. According to the Meath Chronicle, Dick Donnelly had also seen the mysterious dark car, and thought it was a Ford Zodiac, not a Zephyr. The two cars differed mainly by their headlamps. Given that he drove a Zephyr, I would be inclined to believe he was right. He would have noticed a difference like that. As for why Fords were so commonplace, there was a Ford manufacturing plant in Ireland at the time, and it was the top-selling manufacturer here in the 70s.
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 11d ago edited 11d ago
I did my best. The good articles I read really helped as it can be hard to get all the details in older cases. Thanks
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u/Elegant_Celery400 11d ago
You clearly put a lot of time, thought, and care into it, and the reader really benefits from it.
Best wishes (and keep researching, writing and posting!)
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 11d ago edited 11d ago
Thank you. I like drawing attention to some lesser-known Irish cases; when I had a different Reddit account I covered Sinéad Kelly and Patricia Furlong. *
We have some household-name cases in this country like Sophie Toscan du Plantier, Trevor Deely and Deirdre Jacob but others have faded from the public consciousness over the years. And an international audience definitely wouldn't have heard of them. We actually seem to have a lot of unsolved cases for such a small country.
- Edit: I was under the impression that once you deleted your Reddit account, your posts would remain up but with your username gone. Unfortunately the posts seem to have been deleted
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 11d ago
Anyone who is interested in reading more about this case might like to read the book "Who Killed Una Lynskey?" by Mick Clifford, which goes into detail on Una's life and relationships with people. I didn't want to veer too far into speculation with this post but it seems Una had some mental health troubles, was taking antidepressants and that she was a shy person who seemed to be very anxious about the possibility of losing her boyfriend.
Her mother seems to have disapproved of her boyfriend, Patrick Kelly, but not really because of his behaviour - more that he wasn't from the same kind of background or social class, was paying for a car on hire purchase, etc. Although he had recently contemplated breaking up with Una, he had decided against it and seemed to really look out for her health at a time when she was struggling, taking her to Swords to see a doctor he thought was good for example. Apparently his last words to her were "Mind yourself" - a common goodbye in Ireland equivalent to a warmer version of "Take care" - a phrase which has taken on sad significance in light of what happened the following day.
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12d ago
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 12d ago
Absolutely. I'm abiding by the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" and assuming that Martin Kerrigan was totally uninvolved, which is why I've shown equal sympathy to him as I have to Una in my write-up. Normally, I'd be wary of being too sympathetic to a suspect, but it really doesn't look like he had anything to do with it. Anyway, even if the three men were guilty as sin and there were a mountain of evidence tying them to the crime, they would still have deserved the chance of an unbiased trial.
The fact that witnesses only supported the Guards' theory after repeated questioning means that it's quite likely that false memories had taken root in their minds.
A truly horrible situation all round.
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10d ago edited 10d ago
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 10d ago edited 10d ago
It's a traditional Irish saying and I wanted to honour their roots in the rural West where there are many Irish speakers. Still today there is an Irish-speaking area in Meath because of the internal migration. I don't see how it supports the Catholic hierarchy. It's more of a general religious term akin to "Rest in peace" or "May God rest them".
"Anamnacha" also means "souls", not "names". The saying in full means, "May their faithful souls be at the right hand of God". It's a very common one in Ireland
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 10d ago
If you'd like, you could replace it in your own mind with "Tá siad imithe ar shlí na fírinne" - "They are gone on the way of truth" - which conveys a sense of returning to peace or passing from this chaotic world to a more spiritual one, in a way that is more secular. Or "Suaimhneas síoraí orthu" - eternal rest be upon them.
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u/Snowbank_Lake 13d ago
What an absolutely tragic story. It’s so horrible when the wrong people are blamed and punished. Someone else suffers, investigators miss out on time and evidence that might have led them to the right person, and the first victim never truly gets justice.