Funeral of Garda Kevin Flatley, killed on duty last weekend, to take place in Dublin
The funeral of
Garda Kevin Flatley
, who was killed while on duty last weekend in north Dublin, will take place later this week, with large numbers of mourners expected to attend.
The funeral mass will take place on Friday afternoon at Saints Peter and Paul's Church in Balbriggan, north Co
Dublin
, near where he lived with his wife Úna and two young daughters Erin and Aoife. Burial will be in Newcastle, south west Dublin, where Garda Flatley was originally from.
Garda Flatley, who coached at O'Dwyers GAA club in Balbriggan, is survived by his parents Michael and Breda, brother John and extended family and friends. He was predeceased by his sister Elaine.
He was killed at about 12.50pm on Sunday as he was carrying out speed checks on the R132 at Lissenhall near Swords, north Co Dublin. It is understood he had parked his Garda 4X4 on the roadside and was operating a speed gun.
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He detected a motorcyclist breaking the 80kmph speed limit on that stretch of road. As Garda Flatley attempted to flag down the driver, he was struck by the motorbike and died from his injuries.
The Yamaha R1 1,000cc motorbike travelled for a significant distance following the collision and came to a stop on the opposite side of the road.
Gardaí investigating the death of Garda Flatley are hoping to speak to the motorcyclist soon in a bid to establish how the fatal crash came about. While there were fears in the hours after the collision that the man (30s) may die from his injuries, his condition has improved since then.
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Garda Kevin Flatley death: Motorcyclist in collision makes slight improvement in hospital
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Gardaí working on the investigation into Garda Flatley's death are keen to speak to the man as soon as he is well enough, though it is unclear when that may be as he suffered significant injuries.
Gardaí have a series of questions they want to put to him. Footage of the fatal crash was also captured, which is vital to the garda investigation. This footage may also inform the coroner's inquest and, separately, any criminal charges that may arise, depending on the evidence gathered and the decisions of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Garda Flatley's death followed several incidents in which officers were injured on traffic duty.
In the early hours of May 2nd, a garda on duty in Ardee, Co Louth, approached a van that suddenly accelerated and hit him before leaving the scene. The garda suffered broken bones and required surgery. A man was later arrested.
Earlier last week, an on-duty garda was injured when he was hit by a car. Last Friday, another garda suffered a broken leg in Coolock, Co Dublin, when hit by a motorcycle. A suspect was arrested shortly afterwards.
Meanwhile, tributes were paid in the Dáil to Garda Flatley.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin extended his 'deepest sympathies' to his family, friends and colleagues.
He also extended sympathies 'to the broader force and to all members of An Garda Síochána at what it is a very difficult and traumatic time for them, and a huge blow to the force'.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said Garda Flatley 'was a devoted father, a man with a deep grá for community'.
Labour justice spokesman Alan Kelly echoed comments made by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, who said a 'reset' is needed in how society thinks about road safety.
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Irish Times
17 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Carlow gunman disclosure set to lead to scrutiny of An Garda Síochána
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Such are the time limits on the questioning – because there are so many committees in the 34th Dáil there are strict restrictions – Harris didn't actually manage to respond to the question posed by Kelly. READ MORE A little later, however, Michael McDowell came back to the specific question and Harris said that controlled deliveries were frequently used in drugs and firearms cases. The matter has been referred to Fiosrú, the policing ombudsman, but has now a public and political dimension. It's certain that down the line, the Garda will come under political and public scrutiny for the deployment of this tactic. As Kelly later told The Irish Times: 'What he was doing was wrong, but where is the proportionality in the actions of An Garda Síochána? When undercover gardaí met this young man, followed him and knew who they were dealing with, did they not assess the level of threat differently and look at alternative interventions? 'They knew they were not dealing with dissidents or organised crime gangs but a young man with some issues. They have effectively said the same and even agreed to his bail, so obviously they didn't believe he was a huge threat.' Payback time (or more pay time) for former ministers and senior civil servants There was a bit of surprise when it was announced on Tuesday that Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers was holding a media conference in relation to the National Shared Services Office (NSSO), a classic back-office State agency that doesn't exactly draw news headlines. But as Cormac McQuinn reports, errors in handling pension payments have resulted in a situation where Government ministers and as many as 13,000 retired civil servants could either owe money or be owed money because of miscalculations in relation to their pension contributions. 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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
How misinformation took hold in the aftermath of Carlow shooting
Just after 6pm on Sunday 1 June in the centre of Carlow Town a 22-year-old man discharged a firearm inside a supermarket at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre. The man later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was the sole fatality. While there was understandable panic in the shopping centre, it was amplified online by false claims, misinformation, and disinformation about the number of victims and nature of the incident. The only other person physically hurt was a young girl who sustained a minor leg injury while fleeing the scene. She was treated by ambulance personnel and later brought home by family members. In the hour after the incident prominent individuals online claimed falsely that a child had been shot, that the gunman was a foreign national, and that the incident was a terror attack with multiple casualties. Some of these claims first appeared on online accounts with small followings. 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Gardai would later specify that the gunman was a white Irish male, however the commenter inferred the person was non-white, saying "gunman shot dead. Have we been given his colour chart number yet?" By 7:13pm, others on X were alleging that a nine-year-old had been shot in the leg and that Gardaí had returned fire on an attacker, neither of which was true. One user posted around the same time claiming they'd heard "reports" of up to five injuries resulting from the shooting. Videos were soon circulating, in one filmed outside the shopping centre a voice could be heard saying "they f**king shot him down," adding to the confusion. At 7:20pm, Cork-based Derek Blighe the founder of the nationalist and immigration-focused 'Ireland First' party, weighed in on X. "Unconfirmed Reports of a mass shooting in Carlow," he wrote, "apparently 7 people including a child have been shot." In a video posted alongside the caption, Mr Blighe — who has been unsuccessful in several recent elections — speculated that the individual responsible had "been shot dead." His video also included a screengrab of a Facebook comment thread showing incorrect information about the incident, including that a nine-year-old had been shot. Mr Blighe commands a sizeable online following and regularly posts during high-profile incidents. Minute-by-minute analysis of posts on X containing the word 'Carlow' at the time shows a marked increase in activity following his comment. Gardaí issued the aforementioned first public statement providing the initial account of the incident shortly after. But the statement, that said there was "no further concern for public safety," did little to stem the spread of rumour. At 7:31pm, a user on X posted that: "rumours are a migrant went into the shopping center and started shooting." At 7:35pm, online outlet known for publishing hardline and often sensationalist content, posted to its near 70,000 followers that "Gardai appear to have shot an active shooter at a Carlow Shopping Centre." It followed up with a series of posts including one saying: "A 9-yr-old child has been shot during the crossfire." Traditional media sources began reporting on the incident soon after. Some local media had shared brief updates on social media earlier in the evening, but most outlets held off until Gardaí released their first official statement at 7:27pm. RTÉ News published its first online story at 7.40pm, reporting that a man had died and that a child had been injured. The report added that details of the incident remained "unclear" but that it appeared "a man fired a number of shots," and that it appeared the man had died as a result of "self-inflicted" gunshot wounds. Despite these emerging reports, false information continued to be shared elsewhere for hours. Shortly after at 8pm, Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defence League, began amplifying false claims about the incident, saying "Multiple reports of a suspected terror attack in Carlow, Ireland. Gunman shot dead by Gardaí." Robinson, who was jailed in the UK for contempt of court in October after repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee, was released from prison last month. He has previously posted inflammatory claims related to events in Ireland, often amplifying false or unverified information. Despite the posts from Mr Blighe, and Robinson being inaccurate, they remain online more than a week after the incident. Influencers on the scene As speculation intensified online, Philip Dwyer, an unsuccessful candidate in the most recent general election and self-styled 'citizen journalist', travelled to Carlow to film outside the Fairgreen Shopping Centre. In a live video stream, which started at 8:27pm, Mr Dwyer approached frontline emergency service personnel and asked them how many casualties there have been. When they declined to answer, he told viewers that "the next thing they'll be going around in their LGBT fire engines." He later accused them of "belligerence." Earlier that day, he had been livestreaming from an anti-immigration protest in Clonmel. That stream drew just 6,000 views. His Carlow stream, filmed hours later amid public fear and confusion, has since been viewed more than 80,000 times. On his social channels, Mr Dwyer includes links inviting followers to donate to his mission to "expose Ireland." He also offers a subscription service, with an 'Ultra Tier' option of up to $100 a month to help him "expose the madness." The official response A second Garda statement was issued at 9pm on Sunday, confirming that the gunman was a white Irish male who was known to Gardaí and had died at the scene. It was notably specific, appearing to be partly an attempt to address misinformation by countering circulating claims. The statement also gave media outlets more verified details to report. RTÉ News followed up its earlier online coverage in the Nine O'Clock News bulletin after the second Garda statement was issued. Again, even with verifiable information now widely available about the incident, rumours continued to spread. Users like Mr Blighe repeated unverified claims about explosives and tactical gear in a post on X at 9:07pm. International escalation While the volume of posts about Carlow peaked around 8pm, the reach — the number of people viewing and engaging with those posts — continued to climb, peaking at 10pm. As with previous incidents, the Carlow shooting revealed a pattern in how information and misinformation now spreads. In the crucial early hours, the facts often become secondary, with online figures racing to insert themselves into the narrative before the full picture emerges. And as the night wore on, accounts with international followings began wading in to the discourse. One of the most widely shared falsehoods came from the account @CilComLFC, which regularly posts Ireland-related anti-migrant content, and has recently been amplified by X owner Elon Musk. At around 10:50pm, it shared a video of Gardaí responding to an unrelated incident weeks previously in Dublin city centre, alongside a caption containing terminology which would be familiar to a US audience. "Today's Shopping Mall Massacre, which saw a 9-year-old girl shot by a man who had explosives strapped to his body, has enraged the General Public," the post said. The post, though entirely false, was viewed more than 5.7 million times. The aftermath By Monday afternoon, the facts had settled. At 12:30pm, Gardaí issued their fourth statement, setting out in detail what had occurred. It confirmed that the gunman was a 22-year-old Irish man who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No Garda had discharged a weapon. Additionally, it said that a bottle containing an unknown substance was found on the deceased, prompting the involvement of the Defence Forces' Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team. The gunman It later emerged that the man with the weapon, named Evan Fitzgerald, was on bail having been arrested last year as part of a Garda investigation into the sale of firearms on the dark web. He had been facing 13 charges related to firearms, ammunition, and explosives, and was granted bail with Garda consent under strict conditions. The Director of Public Prosecutions has since directed that the charges be withdrawn. On Tuesday morning, during a sitting of Naas District Court, Judge Desmond Zaidan addressed what he described as "sensational headlines" about Fitzgerald having been out on bail at the time of the shooting. While that was true, he said, crucial context about the court's limited power to deny bail in such cases was omitted from much of the reporting. His comments came after several outlets highlighted the bail decision in their headlines, but did not always explain that consent from Gardaí meant a judge had no discretion to refuse it. "Once gardaí consent to bail, the court cannot go beyond that — remember that," he said. Bail had been granted to Fitzgerald on consent in March 2024. "This judge or no judge in Ireland has the power to go behind that… They'd be running to the High Court if I did," he added. "Please report sensibly. Please tread carefully." The judge's comments were themselves widely reported on by media outlets. Judge Zaidan said he felt compelled to set the record straight after reviewing court recordings with his staff. Swirl of confusion In a matter of hours, a shooting incident involving a single gunman and no victims of gunfire became the subject of widespread misinformation, with false claims spreading faster and further than verified facts. Despite multiple Garda statements, speculation continued to dominate online. The Carlow shooting was a moment of real panic. But it also showed how quickly events can be reshaped online, often before the full picture is known.
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Gardai carried out ‘controlled delivery' of guns to Carlow shooter before ‘extraordinary event', Dail committee told
AN Oireachtas committee has heard that the man who died in a shooting incident in an Irish shopping centre received guns in a controlled delivery by Gardai. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris was questioned about Evan Fitzgerald by Labour TD Alan Kelly and former Minister for Justice Michael McDowell before the 2 Garda Commissioner Harris was questioned when he appeared before the committee Evan Fitzgerald, 22, from Portrushen Upper near Kiltegan in He appeared in Labour TD Kelly queried if it had been a "controlled delivery" of guns and ammunition, saying he had "serious concerns" that undercover READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS A controlled delivery is a method used world-wide, and sees a suspect being given illicit items by an undercover Kelly asked: "Did undercover gardaí engage face-to-face with this young man prior to this delivery of Harris said he was unable to discuss the provenance of the firearms and where they came from, and could not confirm if Gardai engaged in a controlled delivery as two other people are before the courts. He said: "I would say that controlled delivery is very sensitive police methodology. Most read in Irish News "We use it for both organised After the two-hour hearing, he was quizzed by Michael McDowell and proceeded to expand on his response, saying: "You'll be aware that controlled delivery is a tactic that's often used around both firearms and COMPLIANT He also added that the case had been examined since Fitzgerald died on June 1, and it was found that he was compliant in his interactions with Gardai, along with his bail conditions. He explained: "Might I say then that obviously there has been an examination following the terrible incidents of the first of June. "We've looked to what we knew of this individual beforehand, and I just, I want to be very careful, because he's been described so many [ways] in the media, but in our interactions with him, he was compliant. "He complied with his bail conditions up until the first of June, and certainly by his behaviors, we didn't anticipate the events of the first of June. It was an extraordinary event". The committee heard that the office of the Police Ombudsman, Fiosru, examined an investigation file into the controlled delivery and concluded that there was no issue of concern. In response to a question from FAR RIGHT OF 'HUGE CONCERN' Kelly noted that counter terror detectives in the Special Detective Unit, the Gardai's anti- He added that cops on a national and local level monitor online activity surrounding protests and specialist training. Kelly then noted that equipment has been given to Gardai. He explained: "Absolutely, to your specific question the far right. "Of course, it's a huge concern to us, absolutely huge concern to us. "We have dedicated officers in the special detective unit, our counterterrorism operational unit, and that's all they do". 2 Evan Fitzgerald died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Credit: Garda Press Office
