Forty years on, family still seek justice for brutal killing of Fr Niall Molloy

Sunday World

17-07-2025

'There are people alive who know what happened'
It was a case that shocked and transfixed the nation: a respected priest found dead in the bedroom of a prominent business couple in a rural village in the midlands.
There were rumours of an affair, a possible motive relating to money problems and a trial that would see the accused, Richard Flynn, walk free.
Today, 40 years on from the death of Father Niall Molloy, the story, one of religion, high finance, horse breeding and even politics, still captivates.
And despite the passage of time and the many secrets that remain buried, the priest's relatives believe that the truth is still to be uncovered.
'There are people still alive today who know exactly what happened to Niall,' Fr Molloy's nephew, Bill Maher, told the Sunday World this week.
'Maybe they are afraid to say that they were there, that they were witnesses. You would think that after 40 years one of them at some stage would speak up, but they are still being silent.
'I have the photographs of the body. He was attacked and the medical evidence is that he was left there for hours to die.'
Fr Molloy's nephew Bill Maher. Photo: Martin Maher
It was July 7, 1985. For Roscommon-born Fr Molloy, the day began as usual, with the celebration of Sunday mass in his parish of Fuerty. Later that day he made his way to Clara in Co Offaly.
There, he went to Kilcoursey House, the home of his friends of three decades, Richard and Therese Flynn, to join in the celebrations of a family wedding that had taken place the day before.
He was a frequent visitor to the 23-roomed Tudor-style home, where he had his own bedroom.
The former Army chaplain shared an interest in horses and showjumping with the Flynns, who owned and ran a number of businesses in the midlands.
He was hands on in running the place
'Niall had all his horses there on the land,' Mr Maher said.
'He had a van there. Locals will tell you that he was so much involved with the house and the Flynns that you couldn't even paint a gate outside without Niall giving the approval.
'He was hands on in running the place.'
Within hours of arriving at Kilcoursey house, Fr Molloy was found dead in its master bedroom.
'I can remember the phone call I got as clearly as it was yesterday,' Mr Maher said.
'My brother rang me early in the morning and said Niall was dead.
'We assumed that because he was such an avid horseman that he may have fallen off a horse or something and then my brother went down to Offaly and word came out that there was a lot of blood around the place.
'Rumours started to circulate that a shotgun was used, which wasn't true. But even then we knew something was very wrong.'
Fr Niall Molloy
The exact time of Fr Molloy's death remains uncertain, but it was some time between 10pm and the early hours of Monday, July 8.
His face was bloodied and bruised. His body showed no defensive marks.
A long, bloody dragmark on the white bedroom carpet suggested the body was moved. Blood smears and spatters were evident in the room and elsewhere.
Emergency services were never called. Medical evidence later suggested the priest may have been alive for several hours after the assault.
Richard Flynn leaving the court in Dublin in 1986. Photo: Brian Farrell
Richard Flynn telephoned a now-deceased local priest at 1am to come and be prepared for an anointment.
It was after 3am before local gardaí were alerted.
By this time, the family doctor, who like many others in the story is now dead, was at the house, as were other members of the Flynn family; Therese had been taken to hospital.
When questioned, Richard Flynn admitted he was the culprit.
Charged subsequently with the manslaughter and assault of Fr Molloy, the 47-year-old businessman was acquitted of all charges a year later.
In a trial that lasted less than four hours, Justice Frank Roe, then president of the Circuit Court, directed the jury to acquit.
The medical evidence, Judge Roe said, was inconclusive and it would be improper to convict on Mr Flynn's statement alone.
The acquittal came despite garda concerns over monies owed to Fr Molloy after a land deal fell through.
'I was at that trial and we were gobsmacked,' Mr Maher said.
He was very trusting, but his trust was betrayed
'That was the first time we heard that there was a row over a drink. Niall wasn't a drinker. We absolutely believe there was a row over money.
'Niall had been to a solicitor on the Thursday before he was murdered. He actually wanted to pull out of all business dealings with the Flynns.
'He was very trusting, but his trust was betrayed.'
Fr Niall Molloy
A month after the trial, a jury in an inquest decided that Fr Molloy had, in fact, died from head injuries, which prompted a public outcry and calls in political circles for the case to be re-examined.
In a bizarre twist, the case file was stolen from the Director of Public Prosecutions in 1987 by the criminal Martin Cahill, known as 'The General', who tried to sell it back to the State.
Then, in 1988, even more questions were raised when new medical evidence suggested Fr Molloy had survived for a number of hours after the assault.
In the same year, Therese Flynn was linked to a fraudulent life insurance claim on Fr Molloy's life, but denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of the policy, which was eventually paid out to the Molloy family.
In 1994, the case took another turn with claims that Judge Roe was known to both the Flynns and Fr Molloy and should not have heard the court case.
Martin 'The General' Cahill stole the files. Photo: Getty
In his only interview after the trial and inquest, Mr Flynn spoke to the Sunday Independent, saying his 'conscience was clear' and that he had 'never lost a moment's sleep'.
Rumours over the years that his wife was having an affair with Fr Molloy have been discounted by the Molloy family.
'I don't believe there was any relationship,' Mr Maher said.
'That has been discounted a long time ago. He was friendly with them, he was naive enough to loan them money. He trusted them, that's the type of person he was.'
In response to allegations of a 'cover-up' and new witnesses coming forward, the Garda Serious Crime Review Team (SCRT) embarked on a review of the case in 2010 and spent two-and-a-half years re-interviewing witnesses and reconsidering evidence.
The inquiry, however, did not result in any new prosecutions.
In March 2015, the government ruled out the prospect of a public inquiry. A senior barrister appointed to review the SCRT findings concluded that an inquiry was unlikely to establish the truth.
Therese Flynn. Photo: Rollingnews.ie
Acknowledging that there were many 'disturbing' features and matters of public concern, the inquiry also pointed to serious failings by gardaí in their investigation.
Judge Roe's directed acquittal was 'extraordinary', but it was within the law.
The report also found no documentary evidence to substantiate claims that the judge was known to the Flynns, or to Fr Molloy.
Richard Flynn's wife, Therese, died in 1993. He remarried and died in 2017.
The Molloy family continue to call for a full commission of investigation.
'I want the same thing today that I have wanted for the last 40 years,' Mr Maher said.
'I want a commission of investigation. When the cold-case review was done a number of years ago a lot of the witnesses wouldn't give any additional statements.
"They wouldn't really talk to them and the cold case had no powers to compel them. A commission of investigation is the only way witnesses can be compelled to talk.'