Inquest into deaths of mother and sons opens

An inquest into the deaths of Mrs Maeve Byrne and her two young sons, Alan and Shane, last September, is to be held in Kilkenny today. Mrs Byrne was stabbed to death at her home in Cuffesgrange, Co Kilkenny. Her body was found shortly after, it is believed, her husband Stephen drove off a pier in Co Wexford with the two boys.

An inquest into Mr Byrne's death has already been held in Wales, where fishermen discovered his body on October 15th, ten days after the funerals of his sons.

His body was taken home for burial with the rest of the family.

Mr Byrne and the boys, aged 10 and six, had not been seen for two days when his wife's body was discovered on Wednesday, September 27th.

A major Garda search got under way but it is now believed the three were already dead.

On Friday, September 29th, mourners at Mrs Byrne's funeral were told that the boys' bodies had been found, five miles apart on a stretch of coastline off Hook Head.

Later the same day the family's white Ford Escort car was lifted from the waters at the end of Duncannon pier.

Mr Byrne is thought to have driven off the pier on the previous Monday night or Tuesday morning, drowning himself and his sons.

Today's inquest, at Kilkenny courthouse, will be conducted by the Kilkenny city and county coroner, Mr Rory Hogan.

The Byrnes had lived in Kilkenny city before moving to a house just outside Cuffesgrange, and relatives of Stephen and Maeve are neighbours in the city's St Patrick's Parish.

Speaking at the boys' funeral, Cuffesgrange curate Father Martin Delaney said St Patrick's Church had seen some sad occasions in its 100-year history but these had been the "most profoundly sad" series of funerals it had witnessed.

At Mrs Byrne's funeral he said she had been "a young woman full of life, who was generous to a fault and spontaneous in her friendships and in everything she did".

The couple had been married for 12 years.