Latest news with #Hawe
Irish Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish dad killed his 3 kids to 'stop them screaming' after secret was exposed
Nine years ago, a "respected" school vice-principal committed a horrific murder-suicide, taking the lives of his wife and children. The victim's sister has now provided haunting insights into his motives. Alan Hawe, aged 40, brutally murdered his sons Liam, 13, Niall, 11, and Ryan, 6, by slitting their throats as they lay asleep in August 2016. Before this, he savagely killed his wife, Clodagh, using a hatchet, knife, and his bare hands in their family sitting room at their County Cavan home in Ireland. Clodagh's sister, Jacqueline Connolly, recently released her memoir 'Deadly Silence. ' In it, she discusses Hawe's pornography addiction and her belief that the threat of this secret being uncovered contributed significantly to his unspeakable act. Opening up on RTE Radio One, she expressed: "I suppose it would be social death if anybody found out that he had that addiction." "I couldn't believe it when I was told. You know, to me, Alan was boring. He was socially inept. Holier than thou. He was very much involved in the church and the community, the GAA (Irish football) club," reports the Mirror. "And the go-to man if anybody wanted anything done, the vice principal of the school. He was very much respected. And so if this was to come out, it was going to bring on a lot of shame." Connolly shared her conviction that this indeed drove him to commit such monstrous deeds, saying: "Absolutely. The Serious Crime Review Team have revealed the evidence behind all of that. You've placed yourself as a brilliant father, husband and colleague. The shame of what he was looking at, to him, was the end of the world." Alan Hawe, known as a devout Catholic and vice principal at Castlerahan National School, was seen as an upstanding member of the community. His wife Clodagh worked at Oristown National School in County Meath, where she was praised as a "wonderful, dedicated and caring teacher for pupils". To the public, Hawe appeared to be a "pillar of the community", but his private life was marred by dark secrets. He frequented Russian dating sites, cross-dressed in his wife's clothes, and had an addiction to pornography. He even used secret email accounts to view pornographic material, including illegal images of children. In what became Ireland's most horrific case of murder-suicide, Clodagh was casually drinking tea and looking up family holidays when Hawe savagely took her life. Jacqueline, Clodagh's sister, recounted the harrowing details: "He came in behind her and he hit her in the head with the axe and he stabbed her in the back and she put up her hand to defend herself and he basically nearly sawed her hand off. "He killed her like he hated her. He didn't need to use two weapons, he killed her with such brutality it was evil. He then sat down and he wrote the letter because he had left the axe and knife on the floor. He took up a new knife and went upstairs." After composing the suicide note, Hawe grabbed another knife and ascended the stairs to slit the throats of his sleeping sons. He left them in their beds before returning downstairs to pen a second note. Hawe penned a chilling note saying: "All the good stuff we did I was really into it. But I think there was some sort of psychosis that made me enjoy that yet in the next moment I was the complete opposite. I'm sorry for how I murdered them all but I simply had no other way." Jacqueline gave testimony about the grizzly end her nephews met, stating courageously: "We know he put his knee on Liam's chest and cut through his windpipe to render him silent. Niall was sharing a room with Liam so Niall probably wouldn't have woken up because Liam couldn't scream out but he had defensive wounds on his hands." She continued, describing the cruel acts: "He did the same to Niall and then he went to Ryan's room. Ryan was the smallest of the three of them. He was very slight and thin for his age but during the inquest we were told that [Hawe] used a sawing action on Ryan and then he just threw a duvet cover over all of them and left the knife that he used on Ryan's pillow. That is evil. That is not depression. That is force brutality and it is control." In further discussions, it emerged from a state pathologist that Hawe possibly targeted the children's Adam's apples with stabs to prevent their screams. In the harrowing suicide letter, he expressed being "caught red-handed" and he expressed dread over going back to school as "it was all going to blow up". Reflecting on the content of his letter, Jacqueline confessed she revisited his words recently and deduced: "I don't see it any way other than he enjoyed what he did." He had been seeking help for his pornography addiction, and therapy notes uncovered the shocking revelation that the teacher "masturbated somewhere he shouldn't have - possibly school". Following his tragic end, the school's legal team stated there was no proof he engaged in watching pornography during work hours. Nonetheless, it is thought his decision to brutally murder his family was driven by a terror of his dark secrets being exposed. In Jacqueline's heart-wrenching memoir, she expresses her conviction that the gardai failed to conduct a proper investigation into their deaths. She is now urging the authorities to release the insights from a secondary probe undertaken by the Serious Crime Review Team.
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Daily Record
'Evil' dad stabbed his entire family to stop his secret from being exposed
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Nine years after the brutal murder-suicide, the sister of victim Clodagh Hawe has spoken out about the reasons behind it. The sister of a woman who was brutally murdered by her husband, who later killed their three children before taking his own life, has shared harrowing insight into his motivation to kill his own family. "Respected" school vice principal Alan Hawe, 40, cut the throats of his three sons - Liam, 13, Niall, 11, and Ryan, six - as they slept in August 2016. He had just killed his wife Clodagh with a hatchet, knife and his bare hands downstairs at their home in County Cavan, Ireland. Nearly nine years later, Clodagh's sister Jacqueline Connolly has published a memoir this month titled Deadly Silence, and has revealed that Hawe had an addiction to porn. She believes his secret being exposed was one of the main reasons behind his horrific crime, the Mirror reports. Speaking to RTE Radio One, she said: 'I suppose it would be social death if anybody found out that he had that addiction. 'I couldn't believe it when I was told. You know, to me, Alan was boring. He was socially inept. Holier than thou. He was very much involved in the church and the community, the GAA (Irish football) club. 'And the go-to man if anybody wanted anything done, the vice principal of the school. He was very much respected. And so if this was to come out, it was going to bring on a lot of shame.' When asked if this influenced his actions, she added: "Absolutely. The Serious Crime Review Team have revealed the evidence behind all of that. You've placed yourself as a brilliant father, husband and colleague. The shame of what he was looking at, to him, was the end of the world.' Hawe was also described as a devout Catholic, and was the vice principal of the local Castlerahan National School, while Clodagh worked at Oristown National School in County Meath, and was remembered as a 'wonderful, dedicated and caring teacher for pupils'. However, the apparent model citizen browsed Russian dating sites in secret, dressed in his wife's underwear without her knowledge and was addicted to watching porn, including indecent images of children. His wife was said to be minding her business, drinking tea and looking at family holidays online when he suddenly attacked her from behind. Describing her sister's final actions, Jacqueline said: 'He came in behind her and he hit her in the head with the axe and he stabbed her in the back and she put up her hand to defend herself and he basically nearly sawed her hand off. 'He killed her like he hated her. He didn't need to use two weapons, he killed her with such brutality it was evil. He then sat down and he wrote the letter because he had left the axe and knife on the floor. He took up a new knife and went upstairs.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. After taking time to write his suicide note, Hawe took a second knife and went upstairs, where he cut the throats of his three sleeping sons before leaving them in their beds and returning downstairs to write another note. He wrote: 'All the good stuff we did I was really into it. But I think there was some sort of psychosis that made me enjoy that yet in the next moment I was the complete opposite. I'm sorry for how I murdered them all but I simply had no other way.' Sharing the harrowing details of her nephews' deaths, Jacqueline said: 'We know he put his knee on Liam's chest and cut through his windpipe to render him silent. Niall was sharing a room with Liam so Niall probably wouldn't have woken up because Liam couldn't scream out but he had defensive wounds on his hands. 'He did the same to Niall and then he went to Ryan's room. Ryan was the smallest of the three of them. He was very slight and thin for his age but during the inquest we were told that [Hawe] used a sawing action on Ryan and then he just threw a duvet cover over all of them and left the knife that he used on Ryan's pillow. That is evil. That is not depression. That is force brutality and it is control.' A pathologist later revealed that Hawe may have stabbed the boys in their Adam's apples to stop them from screaming. In his suicide note, he mentioned being "caught red handed" and how he "dreaded" returning to school because "it was all going to blow up". Jacqueline said of his words: 'I don't see it any way other than he enjoyed what he did.' He had been seeing a counsellor for his addiction, with notes revealing he had "masturbated somewhere he shouldn't have - possibly school". Following his death, lawyers for the school said there was no evidence he watched porn during school hours. However, his decision to murder his family was said to have been made out of fear his secret would become public. Jacqueline also wrote in her memoir that she believes the Gardai did not investigate the four deaths thoroughly, and is calling on the authorities to publish the findings of a second investigation, led by the Serious Crime Review Team. If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. The Samaritans can be reached 24/7 by calling 116 123, emailing jo@ or visiting their website to find your nearest branch. You are not alone.
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Daily Record
Dad stabbed three kids' windpipes so they 'wouldn't scream' after he hid dark secret
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Alan Hawe slaughtered his wife, Clodagh, and their three children, Liam, Niall and Ryan, and in a letter he left behind he spoke about being 'caught red-handed' A "respected" school vice principal committed a horrific act of violence against his family, resulting in a murder-suicide nine years ago. The sister of the victim has now provided a chilling perspective on his motives. Alan Hawe, aged 40, gruesomely ended the lives of his children, Liam, 13, Niall, 11, and Ryan, six, in their sleep in August 2016. Prior to this, he had brutally killed his wife, Clodagh, 39, using a hatchet, knife, and his bare hands in the family's sitting room in County Cavan, Ireland. Jacqueline Connolly, Clodagh's sister, released a memoir titled Deadly Silence this month and has discussed Hawe's pornography addiction. She suspects that the potential revelation of this secret played a significant role in his appalling actions. Speaking to RTE Radio One, she said: "I suppose it would be social death if anybody found out that he had that addiction. "I couldn't believe it when I was told. You know, to me, Alan was boring. He was socially inept. Holier than thou. He was very much involved in the church and the community, the GAA (Irish football) club. "And the go-to man if anybody wanted anything done, the vice principal of the school. He was very much respected. And so if this was to come out, it was going to bring on a lot of shame." Regarding whether this contributed to his dreadful deeds, she stated: "Absolutely. The Serious Crime Review Team have revealed the evidence behind all of that. You've placed yourself as a brilliant father, husband and colleague. The shame of what he was looking at, to him, was the end of the world." Hawe family Alan Hawe, known for being a devout Catholic, served as the vice principal at Castlerahan National School. Clodagh, his wife, was also in the teaching profession at Oristown National School in County Meath, where she was revered as a "wonderful, dedicated and caring teacher for pupils". Externally, Hawe appeared to be a community stalwart, presenting as a model citizen. Nevertheless, within the privacy of his home, he frequented Russian dating sites, indulged in wearing his wife's lingerie, and had an addiction to pornography. He maintained covert email accounts that he used to view pornographic content, including illegal images of children. Ireland's largest murder-suicide Clodagh was having tea and looking at family holiday options when Hawe savagely ended her life. Her sister Jacqueline painfully spoke of Clodagh's last moments: "He came in behind her and he hit her in the head with the axe and he stabbed her in the back and she put up her hand to defend herself and he basically nearly sawed her hand off. "He killed her like he hated her. He didn't need to use two weapons, he killed her with such brutality it was evil. He then sat down and he wrote the letter because he had left the axe and knife on the floor. He took up a new knife and went upstairs." Having written the suicide note, Hawe seized another knife and ascended the stairs to end the lives of his sons with throat wounds as they slept. After committing this atrocity, he returned downstairs to compose another message. Hawe, who ended his own life shortly afterwards, penned: "All the good stuff we did I was really into it. But I think there was some sort of psychosis that made me enjoy that yet in the next moment I was the complete opposite. I'm sorry for how I murdered them all but I simply had no other way." Jacqueline, while revealing the terrible details of her nephews' murders, courageously said: "We know he put his knee on Liam's chest and cut through his windpipe to render him silent. Niall was sharing a room with Liam so Niall probably wouldn't have woken up because Liam couldn't scream out but he had defensive wounds on his hands. "He did the same to Niall and then he went to Ryan's room. Ryan was the smallest of the three of them. He was very slight and thin for his age but during the inquest we were told that [Hawe] used a sawing action on Ryan and then he just threw a duvet cover over all of them and left the knife that he used on Ryan's pillow. That is evil. That is not depression. That is force brutality and it is control." Further unsettling revelations came when a state pathologist suggested that Hawe might have stabbed the children in their Adam's apples to prevent them from screaming. Secret shame In his final written confession, Hawe referred to being "caught red-handed", and the fear of exposure upon his return to school, believing "it was all going to blow up". Reflecting on the content of his suicide note, Jacqueline recently deduced: "I don't see it any way other than he enjoyed what he did." He had been attending counselling sessions for his pornography addiction, with notes indicating the teacher "masturbated somewhere he shouldn't have - possibly school". Following his death, the school's legal representatives stated there was no proof that he accessed pornographic material during school hours. However, it is thought that he chose to kill his entire family due to concerns that his secrets might be exposed. In her memoir, Jacqueline expresses her conviction that the gardai (Irish police) failed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the deaths. She is now urging officials to release the results of a subsequent inquiry by the Serious Crime Review Team.
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Dad stabbed his kids in throat to 'stop them screaming' after secret was exposed
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Clodagh Hawe and her kids, Liam, Niall and Ryan were killed in Ireland's largest murder-suicide - the victim's sister has now published a memoir called Deadly Silence A 'respected' school vice principal massacred his wife and kids in a murder -suicide nine years ago – and the victim's sister has offered harrowing insight into why he did it. Alan Hawe, 40, cut the throats of his children, Liam, 13, Niall, 11, and Ryan, six, as they slept in their beds in August 2016. This was after murdering his wife, Clodagh, with a hatchet, knife and his bare hands downstairs in the family sitting room in County Cavan, Ireland. Jacqueline Connolly, Clodagh's sister, published a memoir this month called Deadly Silence, and has spoken about Hawe's porn addiction. She believes the exposure of this secret was a key reason for his sickening crime. 'I suppose it would be social death if anybody found out that he had that addiction,' she told RTE Radio One. 'I couldn't believe it when I was told. You know, to me, Alan was boring. He was socially inept. Holier than thou. He was very much involved in the church and the community, the GAA (Irish football) club. 'And the go-to man if anybody wanted anything done, the vice principal of the school. He was very much respected. And so if this was to come out, it was going to bring on a lot of shame.' As for whether this influenced his abhorrent actions, she added: "Absolutely. The Serious Crime Review Team have revealed the evidence behind all of that. You've placed yourself as a brilliant father, husband and colleague. The shame of what he was looking at, to him, was the end of the world.' The Hawe family Alan Hawe, described as a devout Catholic, worked in the local Castlerahan National School as a vice principal. Clodagh also worked in education for Oristown National School in County Meath where she was described as a 'wonderful, dedicated and caring teacher for pupils'. From the outside, supposed 'pillar of the community' Hawe looked like a model citizen, but behind closed doors he scanned Russian dating sites, secretly dressed in his wife's underwear and was addicted to watching porn. He used hidden email accounts to watch porn and this included indecent images of children. Ireland's largest murder-suicide Clodagh was reportedly drinking tea and browsing family holidays when Hawe brutally murdered her. Describing her sister's final moments, Jacqueline said: 'He came in behind her and he hit her in the head with the axe and he stabbed her in the back and she put up her hand to defend herself and he basically nearly sawed her hand off. 'He killed her like he hated her. He didn't need to use two weapons, he killed her with such brutality it was evil. He then sat down and he wrote the letter because he had left the axe and knife on the floor. He took up a new knife and went upstairs.' After penning the suicide note, Hawe picked up a second knife and went upstairs to slice the throats of his boys who were sleeping. Leaving them in their beds, he went back downstairs to write a second note. Hawe, who took his own life hours later, wrote: 'All the good stuff we did I was really into it. But I think there was some sort of psychosis that made me enjoy that yet in the next moment I was the complete opposite. I'm sorry for how I murdered them all but I simply had no other way.' And giving horrific details about the murder of her nephews, Jacqueline bravely said: 'We know he put his knee on Liam's chest and cut through his windpipe to render him silent. Niall was sharing a room with Liam so Niall probably wouldn't have woken up because Liam couldn't scream out but he had defensive wounds on his hands. 'He did the same to Niall and then he went to Ryan's room. Ryan was the smallest of the three of them. He was very slight and thin for his age but during the inquest we were told that [Hawe] used a sawing action on Ryan and then he just threw a duvet cover over all of them and left the knife that he used on Ryan's pillow. That is evil. That is not depression. That is force brutality and it is control.' It was later revealed by a state pathologist that Hawe may have stabbed the children in their Adam's apples to stop them screaming. Secret shame In his suicide letter, he spoke of being 'caught red-handed' and that he 'dreaded' returning to school because 'it was all going to blow up'. Jacqueline said she had gone back on his letter in recent times and concluded: 'I don't see it any way other than he enjoyed what he did.' He was seeing a counsellor about his porn addiction, with notes revealing the teacher 'masturbated somewhere he shouldn't have - possibly school'. After his death, solicitors for the school he worked in said there was no evidence that he watched pornography during the school day. But his choice to massacre his whole family was believed to be made out of fear that his secrets would be outed publicly. In Jacqueline's memoir, she writes of her belief that gardai (Irish police) did not investigate the deaths thoroughly, and is calling on authorities to publish findings from a second investigation led by the Serious Crime Review Team.
Extra.ie
11-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Hawe wrote he 'enjoyed' killing his wife and three kids
Alan Hawe wrote that he 'enjoyed' killing his wife Clodagh and their three children in a letter written in between their murders and his own suicide. Extracts from the 2016 letter are included in a book written by Clodagh's younger sister, Jacqueline Connolly. Hawe, a deputy school principal, killed his school teacher wife Clodagh and their sons Liam, 13, Niall, 11, and six-year-old Ryan at their home near Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan, in the early hours of the day he was due to return to work after the school holidays. Tragic Clodagh Hawe and her sons. Pic: File Ms Connolly does not publish the full 'murder letter' in her new book Deadly Silence, due to it being 'almost wholly a list of self-absorbed, egotistical excuses and lies for why he decided it was best to murder his family'. But she does include the chilling words where Hawe appears to admit to having enjoyed his grotesque crimes. He wrote on the blood-stained pages: 'I think there was some sort of psychosis that made me enjoy that, yet in the next moment I was the complete opposite. I'm sorry for how I murdered them all, but I simply had no other way.' Ms Connolly speculates the word 'psychosis' was chosen 'to spoonfeed the forensic psychologists with the suggestion that he had lost his mind' – but notes that that notion is 'contradicted by the detailed list of instructions he wrote on a separate leaf'. She wrote: 'He was still trying to control everything from beyond the grave.' Clodagh Hawe's mum, Mary, and sister Jacqueline. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos The bereaved sister and aunt reveal it took 16 months before she and her mother, Mary, were able to see the letter, being repeatedly told it was evidence despite there being no trial. Their solicitor, astonished to learn they had not seen it despite it being addressed to them, was eventually able to provide them with a copy. In the almost 1,000-word letter, in which Hawe refers to 'I' or 'me' 118 times, the killer said he had previously considered taking his own life only. But he concluded that 'Clodagh and the boys would never be able to live their hopes and dreams if I had killed myself'. He wrote: 'I know I would only be sentencing Clodagh to a life of misery.' The letter contains cryptic references to something that would 'blow up' when he returned to school, possibly related to Hawe's addiction to pornography, which he had been receiving counselling for. Ms Connolly shares a passage from the letter she believes was designed to pre-empt the discovery of 'sleaze' on his phone and computer. 'Sometimes recently, when converting videos on ClipConverter, the odd dodgy website would pop up,' Hawe wrote. 'I wasn't looking for this to happen, and they were always blocked by the filter. I even looked at porn in the last few days on my phone, but I knew I had cracked up and it helped me forget.' Ms Connolly wrote: 'His letter suggested everything I suspected. That he was avoiding the consequences of something he had done at work.' Pic: Hawes/Coll families/PA Wire Clodagh had told her mother she threatened to leave Hawe over his issues with pornography. 'He feared Clodagh was about to hear something that would prompt her to leave him for good. Had that fear triggered the murder spree?' Ms Connolly never found out what, if anything, had happened at school. She initially assumed the letter was written in the kitchen, where it was found alongside folders containing the couple's financial details. But investigators later confirmed Hawe had written it on the coffee table, 'sitting on the couch beside Clodagh's bloodied remains'. Speaking on RTÉ Radio One yesterday, Ms Connolly said she could not ignore the fact he used the word 'enjoy' in his letter. 'We were told not to look at it that way,' she said. 'But I suppose in recent times, when I've been writing the book, I've had to go back to that letter, and I've read that part, and I don't see it any other way other than he enjoyed what he did. 'How do you make sense of such dark thoughts? You can't. And I wouldn't encourage anybody to go there. I don't go there. I don't think about what he said, because the letter was full of lies.'
