Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

For fans of true crime like the loyal and dedicated listeners of Mens Rea, we want to recommend a new Irish series that I think you’ll really appreciate. It’s called Lines of Enquiry, a brand new GoLoud Original hosted by former Garda forensic detective John Sweetman. Across eight episodes, John draws on his decades of experience inside the Garda Technical Bureau to explore some of Ireland’s most...

This episode was originally published asa Patreon exclusive on 12 Jan 2020. In 2016, shocking news broke that an elderly couple were found dead in their own home in rural Co Mayo, and a younger man was found there too - badly injured. Over the following days, while family friends and the community in Irishtown grappled with the tragic news, it became clear that something very sinister had occurred...

This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 2 December 2018 In this episode we take a look at the little-known so-called "satanic" murder of John Horgan (7) in Palmerstown, Dublin in 1973. John and his family lived in a quiet neighbourhood of 9 houses backing on to a field. It was there that his 16 year old neighbour, Lorcan Bale, took him and struck him in the back of the head...

This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 6 Oct 2019 In the early hours of the 11th February, 1984, Patrick Nugent died in a car park in front of Bunratty Castle, Co Clare. There had been a party, and Patrick was working in the castle that night.  A number of guests were present for the events leading up to Patrick's death, but, none of their stories were consistent with...

This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 2 June 2019. This is our first bonus episode to take place outside of Ireland, but involves an Irish couple living and working in Australia. Tina Cahill and David 'Motcha' Walsh met in Sydney after they both moved in 2013. Their relationship was turbulent and marked with violent incidents. They got engaged in late 2016, but only month...

This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 5 May 2019. Two women were murdered in the 1980's in Kilkenny. They were unconnected, and unsolved. It would be years before the two murders were "rediscovered" by the Garda Cold Case Unit - the National Serious Crime Review Unit.  Appeals for information were made to the public, and now, 30 years on, there have been developments...

This episode was initially released as a Patreon exclusive on 8th Sept 2019 In November of 1997, Eileen O'Shaughnessy went to work as normal. She drove a taxi in Galway City, and was one of the few women drivers in the country But on the night of the 30th of that month, Eileen's car was found abandoned in the city with blood all over the drivers seat. Her body was found the next day.  The cas...

This episode was first released as a Patreon exclusive on 7th October 2018 This is the story of the shocking killing of Tom O'Gorman by his lodger, Sevario Bellante, who suffered from schizophrenia. Bellante had recently been weaned off his medication under medical supervision, and on medical advice to do so, but this would have tragic results.  Theme Music:  Quinn’s Song: First Dance by...

This Bonus episode was first published as a "Guilt Trip" episode on Patreon on 7th April 2019. Dolores McCrea married the man that she had met and fallen for while in Secondary School in Donegal. But her husband, Gary, was a controlling man and became abusive.  Soon the violence became too much for Dolores and she left Gary, bringing along their four daughters. But often the time after a pers...

In 1981, Nora Sheehan went missing from Ballyphehane, Co Cork. She was found dead a week later, and gardai soon had a prime suspect for her murder while investigating another crime. But a series of setbacks meant no trial was held in the case until 2023. This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin. ******** Find us on  Facebook  or  Twitter ! With thanks to our support...

In the middle of the night on the 13th May, 2000, a flat in Ballymun was set alight. Inside, the body of Derek Benson was found. But his cause of death had nothing to do with the inferno in his bedroom. He had been brutally killed with a blade. The garda investigation into his murder would not only identify his killers, but a litany of abuse and violence that would continue long after the trial ha...

Kitty Carroll was killed by Michael Murphy in Drogheda in 1983 - he would go on to kill again.  This episode was originally posted to Patreon as a bonus episode in March 2022. Hang in there while I continue to try to get back on track with my work schedule. ************ Find us on  Facebook  or  Twitter ! With thanks to our supporters on  Patreon ! Donate today to get acce...

In March of 2011, 19 year old David Byrne set out to meet someone near to his home in Drimnagh, Dublin City. Little did he know that he was walking into a trap. A panicked chase was caught on CCTV, but the final attack occurred in a dark corner out of sight of any cameras. Could his killer be identified from the footage? This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin. ******** Find us o...

In August 2000, 21 year old Julie Tennant went missing from her home in Ballymena. Her parents searched desperately for her, while RUC officers began a search for her. They eventually identified a man she had last been seen with - but when he heard police were searching his home he went on the run. This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin. ******** Find us on  Facebook  ...

One of television's most popular true-crime series is now adapted for your ears with the “48 Hours” podcast. Every week, award-winning CBS News correspondents investigate the most intriguing crime and justice cases. Here’s a preview of a new “48 Hours” episode, “The Night of the Idaho Student Murders”. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant sits down with family members of Kaylee Goncalves and Xa...

Just after 10am, on Wednesday the 29th July 2008, shots rang out on a busy residential road in Kilrush, Co Clare. Two men who lived on the street, Leslie Kenny and Brendan O'Sullivan, had exchanged words, and by the end of that interaction, one of them was lying dead in a front garden. This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin. ******** Find us on  Facebook  or  Twit...

If you have any information on the whereabouts of John Griffin, you can contact Gort Garda Station on (091) 636400, the Garda Confidential line at 1800 666 111 or your local law enforcement agency. In 2005, a caravan caught fire in rural north Clare, Emer O'Loughlin's family were initially relieved to see that it wasn't the one she shared with her partner Shane. But when human remains were found i...

28 year old mother of one Norma Crotty appeared on her neighbours doorstep early on the morning of January 3rd, 1995. She was in a distressed state, and was holding a shotgun. It was smoking. Norma told her neighbour that she had just shot her husband. This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin. ******** Find us on  Facebook  or  Twitter ! With thanks to our supporter...

In September of 2019, Paul Jones was found dead in the hallway of his home on Bandon Road, in Cork. The 54 year old had a chequered past, but for the last decade had lived a quiet and pious life, bothering no one. Despite this, he had suffered 25 stab wounds to his side and had been hit in the head with a long, machete-like blade. Though he had no known quarrels with anyone, there was someone in P...

In the early hours of 29th April, 2000, a fire was discovered in an upmarket flat in the seaside resort of Scheveningen, The Hague. Three occupants were found dead in the bathtub - young Irishmen Damien Monahan and Vincent and Morgan Costello. Was the fire an accident, some sort of gangland hit, or something else altogether? This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin. ******** Find...

In the early hours of 29th November, 2002, 34 year old father of two arrived home from working his shift as the security manager at a popular nightclub in Limerick City. He was shot to death in his driveway in a suspected gangland killing. Would gardai be able to find enough evidence to bring members of one of Limerick's most notorious gangs before a court? This episode was researched and written...

On a chilly Sunday morning in December of 1980, Michael Kelly arrived at a neighbours house in a panic. There was a fire in the house he was staying in nearby, and inside were the two elderly siblings who he was there to look after. Sadly, Margaret and Martin Glynn - siblings in their 80s - were removed from the house and pronounced dead. But was this a tragic accident, or a malicious act driven b...

In March of 1999, Phillip Colgan and his wife Mary walked into Rathfarnham Garda Station and with a story to tell. It would be his first of many., and it would be up to a jury to decide which was true - and who killed Layla Brennan. This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin. ******** Find us on Facebook or Twitter! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! Donate today to get acces...

In August of 2000, Gerry McGinley disappeared from his home near Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. His wife Julie said he had packed up a plastic bag and had taken off. The police investigation came up with numerous leads. Had Gerry fallen foul of the Real IRA? Or maybe he'd crossed drug dealers? Was his former lover - or indeed her husband - enraged enough to make him run, or worse? It also seemed likel...

In the early hours of 2nd February, 2007, a tragedy occurred on the main street of Arklow, Co Wicklow. A man had been struck by a car and lay dying in the road. It soon became clear, however, that this was no accident. But - was it murder? This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin. ******** Find us on Facebook or Twitter! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! Donate today to ge...