JACQUELINE CONNOLLY - 'Clodagh was my sister – we are not what he did'
Jacqueline Connolly speaks to Brendan about her book Deadly Silence which details the aftermath of her sister Clodagh's murder by her husband Alan Hawe in 2016, she talks about identifying the coercive control her sister suffered within her marriage, trying to see a way through grief, dealing with trauma and finding hope in the darkest times.
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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
'Release garda findings to aid domestic violence services', Clodagh Hawe's sister tells commissioner
Jacqueline Connolly, whose sister and three nephews were murdered by Alan Hawe, has written to the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, asking for a review into the garda investigation to be published. Hawe murdered his wife Clodagh and sons Liam, 13; Niall, 11; and six-year-old Ryan at their home in Co Cavan in 2016, before taking his own life. The investigation into the murders was found to be incomplete and flawed in a number of respects and a review was ordered after Jacqueline and her mother went public on the matter. In her memoir Deadly Silence, Ms Connolly revealed the family was given sight of the completed review — which ran to 800 pages — but the family was not furnished with a copy. Ms Connolly believes it should be published in order to help prevent any similar tragedy from occurring in the future. 'I am appealing to you to release the findings in an appropriate way so that the timelines, behaviours, and patterns of family annihilators are given to the public, for those in abusive and controlling relationships, and to aid domestic violence services in expanding and advancing their policies,' she wrote to commissioner Drew Harris. "This, in turn, will align with the prevention and protection pillars of the Government's third national strategy on domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence" Speaking on The Mick Clifford Podcast, Ms Connolly said she met with justice minister Jim O'Callaghan in March to ask for his assistance in having the review published — but nothing has been done. Warning signs She said that the learnings to be taken from the review are vital in trying to ensure that a similar tragedy does not occur again. 'I've received hundreds of messages since the release of Deadly Silence, and some have been from women who read my book and said: 'You've shown me warning signs, it's really raised red flags with me, I'm in the process of quietly leaving my partner.' If 'Deadly Silence' can do that, imagine the power impact that the truth in the findings [of the review] would reveal and the lives that could be saved Her call for publication of the review is supported by Women's Aid, the support organisation for the victims of domestic violence. Sarah Benson, the chief executive of Women's Aid, told the Irish Examiner that since the publication of Ms Connolly's book, she had been contacted by women for whom elements of the story had resonated. 'Some who contacted me said they felt lucky that they may have had a near miss in terms of the risks they have been subjected to in a relationship,' Ms Benson said. 'It could be extremely beneficial and in the public interest to have reports like this shared in order to do what Jacqueline is saying, to help understand where there may have been missed opportunities, and to better bolster community response to domestic abuse and the risks associated with it.' Key flaws A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána told the Irish Examiner that in general 'reviews conducted by the Garda Serious Crime Team are not published for operational reasons'. The spokesperson also referred to a statement from Mr Harris on the case dating from 2019. In her book, Ms Connolly wrote that the review uncovered three key flaws with the original investigation. These were the mishandling of CCTV evidence, the interviewing of witnesses without the proper expertise, and digital evidence that simply was not collected. She said that accommodation could be made for redactions where the gardaí thought necessary but that there are huge learnings to be taken from the detail of how Alan Hawe conducted himself and where red flags could be raised in the future. 'It's frustrating and angering that I, as Clodagh's sister and the boys' aunt, am here again fighting for justice? Why should that have to happen? Why should the onus be on me to fight to do what's right for women and children?' she said. - If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services. Women's Aid national helpline is 1800 341 900
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
The Mick Clifford Podcast: Clodagh Hawe's sister on why investigation into murder suicide should be published
In 2016 Alan Hawe murdered his wife Clodagh and their three children. The subsequent garda investigation was found to be deficient in a number of respects. Clodagh's sister Jacqueline and their mother Mary pushed for a proper investigation. That was conducted but never published. Jacqueline, who wrote her memoir Deadly Silence on the case, believes it should be published in order to prevent any similar tragedies occurring in the future. Jacqueline is this week's guest on the podcast.
Irish Times
31-05-2025
- Irish Times
Deadly Silence: The compelling and harrowing story on the killing of Clodagh Hawe and her children
Deadly Silence: A Sister's Battle to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of Clodagh and Her Sons by Alan Hawe Author : Jacqueline Connolly (with Kathryn Rogers) ISBN-13 : 978-1399706650 Publisher : Hachette Books Ireland Guideline Price : €16.99 On the night of August 29th, 2016, one of the most devastating cases of murder-suicide occurred in Ireland. Alan Hawe butchered his wife, Clodagh, and their three young sons, Liam, Niall and Ryan, before taking his own life. The ensuing shock waves reverberated through the Cavan townland of Castlerahan, where Hawe had been vice-principal of the local national school, and echoed throughout the entire country. Jacqueline Connolly reveals the circumstances leading up to that dreadful night when she lost her sister and three nephews, and the family's struggle for answers in its aftermath. She unveils a litany of failures with the initial Garda investigation, arguing that they 'closed ranks around uncomfortable truths' and the battle she and her mother went through to secure a review by the Garda serious crime review team. [ 'Alan Hawe was a wolf in sheep's clothing who fooled us all': Clodagh Hawe's sister on her fight for the truth Opens in new window ] Alan Hawe left behind a five-page 'murder letter', written while the mutilated body of his dead wife lay nearby, alleging via a host of 'pseudo-altruistic' claims that he had spared his family from some great shame; he had been caught 'red-handed' and it was all going to 'blow up'. READ MORE Connolly admits to never taking to pillar-of-the-community Hawe, but believed that he and Clodagh were happy together in their 'all-consuming marriage'. Only after their death did she realise the cracks in that perfect veneer, with the revelation that the 'cold, twisted and manipulative' Hawe exercised coercive control over her sister, that he was seeing a counsellor about a pornography addiction, and that Clodagh was considering leaving him. She confesses to not realising 'the depths of his darkness', which ultimately led to a murder 'as premeditated and cold as a professional assassination'. Connolly uses the book to call for a 'better, kinder' inquest process, one that doesn't result in families receiving difficult information in the full glare of the public eye, while the Garda review included strong recommendations on how future investigations into murder-suicides should be conducted. Connolly's life has been marred by such considerable tragedy – she also lost her brother and husband to suicide – that it seems incredible that she has been able to write this harrowing, heart-rending memoir. That it is so utterly compelling, even as she narrates some deeply distressing events, is a testament to her resilience and grace under the most catastrophic circumstances.
