Brother charged with murder of Tom Dooley in Kerry cemetery told gardaí he tried to protect him from ‘the Cork lads’

Sergeant Liam Lingane was directed to attend at the accident and emergency department of Cork University Hospital at about 8.30pm on that date and met Patrick Dooley there.

In that conversation, Patrick Dooley gave Sgt Lingane an outline of the family tree and of his own attendance at the O’Driscoll funeral in Tralee that day. Unaware at that time his brother Tom was dead, he said when he left the cemetery “he saw his brother on the ground, he was not aware of anything else, he was not aware his brother passed away… and we did not tell him”, Sgt Lingane testified.

The witness said from his notes of what Patrick Dooley told him at the hospital: “He lived at the Straight [Carrigrohane, Cork] Road about 15 years ago for a while.

“[Patrick) is a brother of Thomas [deceased]. Not that friendly anymore because he [Thomas] was after fighting with the family.

“He [Patrick] did not see his brother or any of the Cork relations at the church… In the graveyard, he walked in, waiting for the hearse to arrive. He took notice of a car playing loud music. The Cork lads from the Straight Road were inside.

“Patrick saw them running from the front part of the graveyard. He ran down to see what was happening. The Cork lads were on top of his brother Thomas. Patrick ran trying to help his brother and then saw Siobhán [the deceased man’s wife] on the ground. Patrick tried to pull some of the fellas off his brother. [Patrick] got pulled back from someone behind him. I [Patrick] saw a fella with a small circular shaped weapon on a short handle. I could see a hand on it. It came down on Thomas.

“I [Patrick] saw it go up. Patrick reached in and tried to block it. It hit him [Patrick] on the left forearm and cut it. Before that, Patrick hit one or two fellas.

“Tom on the ground. Siobhán also on the ground. About 10 of the Cork lads — too many to fight off. I ran when I saw the blood dripping off my left arm. Headed for Cork to go to hospital. Arrived at CUH around 1pm.” 

Also in the notes, Sgt Lingane said Patrick Dooley added: “When I was running down to help my brother I could see two lads with yokes on long bars coming to the graveyard… The Cork crowd only ran down the graveyard when they saw Thomas and Siobhán coming in.

“A feud going on for years. Patrick keeps out of it. Patrick got beaten up on the Straight Road about two years ago [two years before October 2022].” 

Detective Sergeant Mark O’Sullivan said when he formally arrested and charged Patrick Dooley with murder, he replied after caution: “I did not harm my brother at all in any way. That is all I have to say about it.” 

The trial before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and the jury, including three substitute members, consisting of 13 men and two women, went into the beginning of its third week on Monday.

Five defendants in the case — all with the surname Dooley — Patrick, 36, of Arbutus Grove, Killarney; Thomas, 43, of the halting site, Carrigrohane Road; Thomas Jnr, 21, of the halting site, Carrigrohane, Cork; Michael, 29, of the halting site, Carrigrohane, Cork, and Daniel, 42, of An Carraigin, Connolly Park, Tralee, Co Kerry, are on trial, as is the sixth defendant, who is a teenager. 

They all deny murdering 43-year-old Tom Dooley from Hazelwood Drive, Killarney, at New Rath Cemetery, Rathass, Tralee, on October 5, 2022.

Only 21-year-old Thomas Dooley Jnr faces the second charge that he intentionally or recklessly caused serious harm to Siobhán Dooley, the wife of the deceased man. He has pleaded not guilty plea in respect of this count also.