Mother of Shane Geoghegan to appear on TV appeal

The mother and girlfriend of Shane Geoghegan will for the first time discuss how the murder has affected them when they appear on television this evening.

Mr Geoghegan (28), a popular rugby player, was murdered in Limerick over a week ago while on his way home from a friend’s house on Sunday November 9th. It is believed he was mistaken for the intended killer's target, who is understood to be a member of a rival gang.

More than 2,000 mourners attended Mr Geoghegan's funeral while many more signed books of condolences.

Tonight's Crimecallwhich airs on RTÉ One at 10.15pm includes a reconstruction of the murder of Mr Geoghegan and an appeal for information will also be made.

Appearing on the programme, Shane Geoghegan's mother Mary recalls her reaction to hearing of her son's death.

“My immediate response was that it couldn’t be . . . there was no way it could be Shane. There was no way that he could be in the way of anything that would cause him to be killed,” she said.

On the programme, Ms Geoghegan appeals for anyone who knows anything about her son's murder to come forward and help gardaí.

Mr Geoghegan's girlfriend, Jenna Barry, is also interviewed, as is his brother Anthony and his cousin Garret Walsh.

Speaking about Mr Geoghegan's funeral, Ms Barry said: “He would have always been there to support me and he wasn’t, so it’s going to be really tough without him. He’s not going to be there to enjoy the good times with me and he’s not going to be there to pick me up when the bad times are there.”

Mr Geoghegan's cousin disputed suggestions that Shane was 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'.

“Shane was doing what he did a thousand times. He wasn’t in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was in the right place. He was walking home on a Saturday night, one hundred metres across the road. His life was interrupted," said Mr Walsh.

Gardaí investigating the murder on the Kilteragh housing estate in Dooradoyle are continuing to search for the murder weapon.

Four shots were fired into the victim's body, with one fatally wounding the 28-year-old in the head.

Last Friday, more than 20 addresses were raided in Limerick, Cork and Dublin as part of the murder investigation.