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Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Murdered farmer Michael Gaine was not afraid to be ‘soft, loving and kind', funeral told
The requiem mass of murdered farmer Michael 'Mike' Gaine has heard that he was 'a proud Kerryman, and an even prouder Kenmare man' who was incredibly generous and would 'chip in to help any time and any place'. Mourners at the Holy Cross Church in Kenmare, Co Kerry were told that Mr Gaine was not afraid to show his emotions and was 'soft and loving, caring and affectionate, kind and considerate'. His cousin Eoghan Clarke said he was honoured to speak at the funeral on behalf of Michael's wife Janice. He said that Mike did the work of three men on his farm while still managing to carve out multiple hours in the day in which he helped others. 'I recall on one occasion when Mike was convincing one of his friends to head out for dinner one evening with the friend – who shall remain nameless – complaining that he was too tired. Mike shut down that argument immediately by replying: 'Sure, we're all tired'. That was Michael – he loved life, he always made the most of it and he truly lived every single moment. READ MORE 'Whether you met him during lambing or while on a trip away to a car show or rally event, he always had the iconic twinkle in his eye ... the 'I'm delighted to see you', 'I'm in great form', 'let's go and enjoy ourselves' glint in his eye. 'Michael was generous. Incredibly generous. He had time for everyone and would chip in to help any time and any place.' Mr Clarke read out a quote from a friend which he said summed up Mr Gaine's generosity and thoughtfulness better than he felt he ever could. Addressing Mr Gaine, the friend said: 'I will always remember the way you offered help before I ever even asked for it.' Eoghan Clarke, cousin of murdered Co Kerry farmer Michael Gaine, speaking at his funeral. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Mourners were also told of how Mr Gaine met his wife Janice on a fateful New Year's Eve. Mr Clarke said Janice had travelled from Jakarta to visit her parents in Kerry for Christmas when a young Mike, looking dapper in his dress suit, plucked up the courage to speak to her at the bar. 'Michael explained that he was heading to Australia soon and in the days before Google and smartphones, Michael explained to Janice that Garuda airlines – Indonesia's national airline – seemed to offer the best value. Janice, presumably intrigued by Michael's extensive knowledge of flight routes to and from Australia, agreed to Michael's invitation to dinner before she then returned to Indonesia in the new year. 'For the next few years, Michael kept Telecom Éireann in business, feeding coins into one of the payphones in Kenmare to speak to Janice in Indonesia and then Taiwan, where he came to visit her. The rest is history.' Mr Clarke said that Michael's interests were as varied as his friend network. They included rallying, farming, current affairs, holidays to exotic places, DoneDeal, and all music – even opera. He added that by virtue of his incredible character, Mike attracted a lot of good people into his life. 'My own friends describe their first time meeting Mike and have said that he instantly gelled with them, made them feel at ease and showed a genuine interest in them. Another beautiful quote I have seen from a friend of Michael's was 'I always left in a better mood after talking to or bumping into you.' We will all miss Michael terribly.' Mourners proceed through the Holy Cross Church in Kenmare following Michael Gaine's funeral. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA The mass was celebrated by Fr George Hayes, parish priest in Kenmare along with Fr Sean Murphy. Fr Hayes said that the shocking murder of Mr Gaine had brought 'something terrible' in to the peaceful existence of locals. 'We are discommoded and feel at a loss. Over these weeks, since Michael went missing, we have asked so many questions – and, in life, sometimes, there are no answers.' Fr Hayes said that the focus of the funeral mass was on recovering the dignity of a much loved family member, friend and neighbour. 'Today is a day for recovering the dignity of Michael Gaine. Today we recover Michael's dignity because, today, we speak Michael's name with love. And it is the dignity of Michael's life, and not the manner of Michael's death, that will abide in our hearts. Here in this place, today, we recover Michael's dignity. We speak Michael's name with love.' He asked mourners to enjoy life and to lift people's spirits in the manner in which Mike did. 'In that way, Michael and his characteristics will live on. Rest easy Michael. Until we meet again.' Offertory symbols included a photo of Mr Gaine on his quad on his farm with cavalier dog Teddy, a holiday photo, a photo of the globe representing his love for current affairs and travel, a wedding photo, a CD, a photo of St Michael the Archangel, a photo of Mike and his rally car and his rally helmet. Mourners following the funeral of murdered Co Kerry farmer Michael Gaine at the Holy Cross Church in Kenmare. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA His widow Janice Gaine led the family out of the church at the conclusion of the mass holding his urn in her arms. Poignantly, the urn was in a sheepskin-lined basket. The funeral of Mr Gaine took place 11 weeks after he went missing from his farm in Kenmare. His disappearance was initially treated as a missing persons case. It was declared a murder investigation by gardaí on April 29th. Human remains found in fields and at the Gaine's farm in Kenmare in mid-May were confirmed as being those of Mr Gaine. A man in his 50s was arrested on May 19th last in connection with the murder. He was subsequently released without charge pending a file to the DPP. Mr Gaine is survived by his wife Janice, sisters Noreen and Catherine, nieces and nephews, his aunt Noreen Fitzpatrick, his close friends DJ and Shane and his wide circle of friends.
Irish Times
02-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Michael Gaine's funeral to be held next weekend in Kenmare
Kerry farmer Michael Gaine will be laid to rest next weekend after a funeral Mass in his native Kenmare. Gardaí have returned his remains to his family following the completion of a postmortem. Mr Gaine's disappearance is being investigated by gardaí as suspected murder. Mr Gaine (56) was last seen alive on March 20th when his image was caught on CCTV footage at a shop in Kenmare. Gardaí believe he was murdered soon after this when he returned to his isolated farmyard at Carrig East, six kilometres from Kenmare town. READ MORE In late April gardaí upgraded their missing persons case to a homicide inquiry. On May 16th, human remains were found by his nephew while spreading slurry with a local agricultural contractor at the farm. Gardaí recovered Mr Gaine's dismembered remains from fields and a slurry tank. Following a postmortem by State Pathologist Dr Sally Anne Collis, the remains have been returned to Mr Gaine's family for the funeral next weekend. Mr Gaine is survived by his wife, Janice; sisters Noreen and Catherine; nieces Emma and Rachael; nephews Jamie and Mark; and brother-in-law Sean O'Regan. He will lie in repose at Finnegan's Funeral Home in Kenmare on Friday. His requiem Mass will take place at 10.30am on Saturday with a private family burial afterwards. His funeral notice on says he will be 'sadly missed and fondly remembered by his heartbroken wife', family and wide circle of friends in the farming and rallying community and beyond. Meanwhile, the Garda investigation into Mr Gaine's homicide is continuing following the arrest and release of a former US soldier, Michael Kelley (53), on May 17th for questioning about the death. He was released without charge after being held and questioned for 24 hours. Mr Kelley, who is from Maine, denies having any involvement in Mr Gaine's disappearance. Mr Kelley had been living alone at the old farmhouse at Carrig East, some five kilometres from where Mr Gaine lived, where he used to help out with farm work in return for accommodation. He is now living in Tralee.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- BBC News
Michael Gaine: Human remains identified as missing County Kerry farmer
Human remains found at farmland in County Kerry have been identified as being those of missing farmer Michael Gaine, 56, had been missing for more than eight weeks and he was initially treated as a missing persons case before it was upgraded to a confirmation comes nine days after human tissue was discovered in fields on Mr Gaine's farm, near discovery led to the farmyard and several fields being sealed off and declared a crime scene. Since then, the area has been searched by specialist teams, including members of the Garda (Irish police) Technical Bureau, assisted by local garda search teams and the Irish Defence Forces. A man in his 50s, who was arrested last Sunday on suspicion of Mr Gaine's murder, was later released without charge. He has denied any involvement in the farmer's Sunday evening, gardaí confirmed the identification of Mr Gaine's remains in a have further appealed to the public for assistance in this investigation. Mr Gaine, a sheep and cattle farmer, was reported missing from his home near Kenmare on 21 March. He was last seen in the County Kerry town the previous lived in the remote Carrig East area, close the Molls Gap beauty spot, along the renowned Ring of month, Michael Gaine's wife Janice told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that he "loved his home, he loved his farm, he loved animals" adding that his disappearance was "totally out of character".According to RTÉ, in-depth investigations by gardaí ruled out "innocent" explanations, such as a medical event, an accident, or that he left the area voluntarily. A missing person's investigation operates on the basis of consent, but when gardaí announced the re-classification of their investigation, it meant the range of options in front of the investigation team significantly could then get search warrants, clear areas of interest and seize and examine certain items like phones and laptops.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- The Independent
Man arrested for farmer Michael Gaine's murder released without charge
A man arrested on suspicion of the murder of Michael 'Mike' Gaine has been released without charge. Mr Gaine, a 56-year-old sheep farmer with land near Kenmare in Co Kerry, was reported missing more than eight weeks ago. On Saturday, partial remains were found at Mr Gaine's farm in Carrig East, and a crime scene was declared as gardai searched for further remains. On Sunday, a man aged in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of Mr Gaine's murder. He was held for 24 hours for questioning before being released. He was driven away from Killarney Garda Station in an unmarked garda car shortly before 11pm on Monday. Gardai said the Gaine family have been kept up to date with developments and said the family have asked for privacy. The search and examination of Mr Gaine's farmland is set to continue, gardai said, aided by the emergency services and Irish troops. Several personnel were seen digging near a barn on Monday afternoon while Irish soldiers searched a field further away by hand. Kerry Drain Services machinery was also seen at the scene on Monday. Over the past eight weeks, several appeals have been issued and extensive searches involving Irish soldiers, the Garda water unit and road checkpoints have been held to try to find the missing man. Around 2,200 hours of CCTV and dashcam footage and 130 witness statements were taken by the end of April. Mr Gaine's wife Janice and sister Noreen O'Regan issued a plea at that time, a day after gardai upgraded the investigation from 'missing person' to homicide. An appeal for the public to help with their investigation has been renewed by gardai this week. Those with information have been asked to contact the confidential Garda line or any Garda station.
Irish Times
19-05-2025
- Irish Times
Gardaí investigating murder of Michael Gaine release man held for questioning
Gardaí have released without charge a man in his 50s arrested for questioning about the murder of Kerry farmer Mike Gaine. Mr Gaine disappeared from his farm outside Kenmare in March. The man, who was arrested at an address in Tralee shortly after midday on Sunday, was questioned for up to 24 hours about the murder of Mr Gaine. He was detained at Killarney Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. The Garda Press Office issued a statement on Monday night confirming the man had been released without charge. READ MORE Mr Gaine was last seen alive when he was captured on CCTV footage buying phone credit at 9.48am on March 20th at the Centra shop in Kenmare. He was reported missing on March 21st by his brother in law, Garda Sean O'Regan, when he failed to return home. Mr Gaine's wife Janice and his sister, Noreen O'Regan, issued an appeal for information on his disappearance on April 30th, a day after gardaí upgraded their inquiry from a missing person's investigation to a murder investigation. Gardai appointed a liaison officer early on in the investigation to keep Mr Gaine's family briefed on any developments in the case and it is understood that they have been informed that the suspect was released without charge. Gardaí hope searches at the farm of Mr Gaine will yield clues as to what happened to him. Members of the Garda Water Unit have carried out a thorough search of a slurry tank while Garda technical experts examined a slurry tanker at Mr Gaine's hillside farmyard, 6km from Kenmare, midway between the town and Moll's Gap on the Ring of Kerry. Mr Gaine's nephew Mark O'Regan and a local agricultural contractor were spreading slurry they had drawn from the tank in the yard on Friday evening when the spraying pipe became blocked. When they went to clear it, the discovered human remains and notified gardaí. It is understood Mr O'Regan and the contractor had already drawn four tanker loads of slurry from the pit and sprayed it on two fields when they made the discovery. Gardaí have spent much of the weekend combing the fields for more human remains. [ 'Words fail us': Searches continue at Michael Gaine's farm following discovery of partial remains Opens in new window ] Investigators are working on the theory that whoever killed Mr Gaine dismembered his body before disposing of the remains in the slurry tank. Gardaí believe that Mr Gaine was murdered somewhere in the vicinity of the farmyard on March 20th and his body was disposed of in the slurry tank. However, gardaí found no trace of blood or tissue on the farm that would result from a body being dismembered. One theory they are examining is whether Mr Gaine's body may have been dismembered in a stream, which would wash away clues. Gardaí on Michael Gaine's farm at Carrig East, Kenmare. Photograph: Noel Sweeney/PA Wire Investigators admit that they are facing a challenge to try to establish just how exactly Mr Gaine died if they do not have sufficient body parts that might allow a pathologist to confirm a cause of death. One informed source pointed out that in addition to Mr Gaine's appearing to have been dismembered, the fact that his remains were then put in the slurry tank also makes establishing a cause of death more difficult as human tissue dissolves in slurry. 'Slurry is rich in bacteria that break down tissue and flesh and the hot weather over the past few weeks would have speeded up that dissolution process so unless you find say a bony body part like a skull with some evidence of trauma, it will be very difficult to give a cause of death,' the source said.
