The Taoiseach has called for people to look out for each other as shocked locals have told how they thought the tragic couple found dead in their Tipperary home were abroad.
The couple, in their 70s and originally from the UK, were found dead in their home in the rural village of Cloneen on Monday afternoon after a local man raised concerns as to why there was no sign of activity at the bungalow - despite the couple’s cars being spotted parked at the back of the property.
The local man raised his concerns with a local county councillor, who then in turn contacted gardai to conduct a welfare check.
Gardai called to the remote property shortly after 4pm on Monday and it was then the grim discovery was made. The indications were that the couple had been dead for a considerable period of time. Gardai have confirmed the couple's names as Nicholas (Nick) and Hilary Smith.
On Tuesday, it emerged the tragic couple had indicated to locals in late 2020 during the pandemic that they were moving overseas - which is why no concern was raised before this.
The tragic couple, who locals described as private people who kept to themselves, are understood to have moved to Cloneen at least five years ago. And in the wake of the shocking tragedy, Taoiseach Micheal Martin encouraged people to continue to check in on their neighbours.
“We have to wait for the full investigation of the terrible situation in Tipperary,” he said.
“Obviously I think communities across the country generally do keep an eye out for their neighbours and there are many different organisations and networks that do that.
“And of course we have to continue to do that and be vigilant in terms of looking after neighbours, particularly the elderly and vulnerable neighbours who may need help and support,” he said.
Yesterday, Gardai remained at the cordoned off white pebble-dashed detached bungalow, which is situated along a rural road between the villages of Cloneen on the R692 Kilkenny to Cashel Road and Mullinahone, around 15km from Clonmel and 35km from Kilkenny city.
The property, which is one of only a handful of houses along the rural road, is about 3km from the village of Cloneen and is overlooked by picturesque mountain views of Slievenamon.
The grass in the front garden has grown long while mature trees and bushes surround the property.
Now, several upset locals in the tight-knit community of Cloneen, have spoken of their shock as they try to come to terms with the double tragedy.
“It’s such a shock for everyone. It seems their bodies were there for a long time,” an upset local said.
“They told people they were emigrating to France or somewhere in late 2020 so people were under the assumption they had moved away,” a shocked local told this paper.
“It’s just shocking. It’s awfully sad and everyone is in disbelief, floored and shell-shocked. It’s very tragic,” another upset local told The Star.
Another local said: “It’s wicked shocking. Something like this has never happened around here before. I just can’t understand it. Everyone is in shock.”
Local councillor and publican of The Thatch pub in the village, Mark Fitzgerald said he too has been left shocked over the couple’s deaths.
With a population of only 60 residents in the small, rural agricultural village and 600 residents in the hinterland, the couple “kept to themselves,” according to Cllr Fitzgerald.
“As a local councillor and publican you’d think that you’d know everything but up until this tragic event I never heard of the couple or seen them.
“We are a small, tight-knit community and everyone is in shock and disbelief. One local said to me ‘Mark, you see these things on the news and you never expect it to be coming live from our village.’
The couple’s remains were removed from the property on Monday night to University Hospital Waterford for a full post-mortem examination after the scene was examined by the State Pathologist.
Gardai in Clonmel continue to investigate “all circumstances” in relation to the elderly couple’s death.
They will use dental records in a bid to formally identify the couple and laboratory tests to determine the cause of death because of the condition of the bodies.
Gardai will also conduct a search of the property for bills, bank statements and food with best before dates to narrow down the date they were last believed to have been alive.
Detectives will also make enquiries as to whether the tragic couple have relatives in the UK and make efforts to contact them.
Gardai from Clonmel will conduct door-to-door enquiries to try and determine the last known sighting of the couple and have appealed for anyone with information on the couple’s last known movements to contact them.
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