Joe Deacy death: Inquest hears Garda murder investigation ‘ongoing’

A Garda investigation into the violent death of a young man from England while visiting his relatives in the west of Ireland five years ago remains “live and ongoing”, an inquest has heard.

Joe Deacy (21) from St Alban’s in Hertfordshire was found lying on the ground outside a house in Swinford, Co Mayo, at 6.30am on August 12th, 2017 by a passing cyclist.

The GAA fan, who had spoken of his plans to move to Mayo, died the following day in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where he had been transferred after initially being treated at Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar for his injuries.

Gardaí opened a murder investigation after postmortem results showed he had suffered a blunt-force trauma to the head.

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[ The death of Joe Deacy: A five-year blur of grief and unanswered questions ]

At a brief sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Thursday, Inspector Naomi de Rís said the circumstances of Mr Deacy’s death remained “very much a live investigation”.

Insp de Rís said a number of lines of inquiry were still being followed in the case. She told the coroner, Cróna Gallagher, that several witnesses who are outside the jurisdiction have still to be interviewed by gardaí.

A solicitor for the Deacy family, Dara Robinson SC, said the deceased’s relatives were aware of the status of the investigation.

Mr Robinson said the Deacy family were “very pleased” with the development of the Garda investigation.

He also said the family consented to an application by Insp de Rís for the inquest to be adjourned for another six months.

Dr Gallagher said she was aware that there had been new developments in the investigation in the past with new lines of inquiry being followed.

The coroner adjourned the inquest until May 16th next year under Section 25.1 of the Coroners Act on the basis that criminal proceedings in relation to Mr Deacy’s death are being considered.

Mr Deacy, who considered himself to be from Mayo – the home county of his paternal grandparents – was a regular visitor to the west of Ireland and had applied for an Irish passport shortly before his death.

He had spent the evening before he was assaulted socialising in Kiltimagh before being dropped with his friend to the house in Swinford where he was later found.

He had sent a video via social media to his second cousin, Michelle Deacy, with whom he had been staying at around 3.45am, but what happened over the next few hours remains unclear.

Speaking earlier this year at a special memorial Gaelic football match to mark the fifth anniversary of his death, Joe’s father, Adrian Deacy, said his family would continue their fight for justice as long as it took.

Mr Deacy said they wanted to highlight the fact that people with information about their son’s death had not revealed it to gardaí.

“You’re hoping something will touch someone’s conscience somewhere. That’s all you can hope for,” said Mr Deacy.