The Central Criminal Court has heard a man accused of murder told another man he had a row with his uncle the night before the 79-year-old was found dead.
The jury was hearing evidence on the second day of the trial of 34-year-old Thomas Lorigan, who denies the murder of his uncle John O'Neill two years ago.
Mr O'Neill was found dead at his home in Lisdoonvarna in Co Clare on 7 January 2022.
The prosecution said he had been viciously attacked and repeatedly kicked in the head.
Walter Burke told the jury that he got to know Thomas Lorigan, who he knew as 'Mossy’ from a local pub.
He said he had often helped him out by giving him food and clothing and allowing him to charge his phone as he was "down on his luck" and had no electricity or cooking facilities where he lived.
He said Mr Lorigan had stayed at his house on about three occasions.
He said Mr Lorigan had stayed in his house on 5 January 2022 and they were drinking at his home on the following day, 6 January.
He said they had taken turns to go to the local Spar to buy wine. At one point in the evening, Mr Lorigan had left the house.
He said this was not unusual as he would often go "rambling".
He said when Mr Lorigan returned he said he had a row with someone and Mr Burke assumed this was only an argument.
He said Mr Lorigan told him the row was with John O’Neill. He said he knew Mr O’Neill who was a neighbour but had not known until then that Mr O’Neill was Mr Lorigan’s uncle.
He said during the night and again the next morning Mr Lorigan mentioned that the row was more serious than he might have thought.
He said the next morning after the third conversation he began to think that Mr O’Neill might be hurt and he decided to ring the emergency services.
He said he made three calls as he had to hang up once when Mr Lorigan was coming downstairs as he did not want him to know he was calling the guards.
When the emergency services arrived he identified himself to gardaí as the man who had made the emergency call. He also told gardaí that Mr Lorigan was in his house.
Mr Burke was also shown photographs of a number of items found in his house including bottles of alcohol and clothing.
He said the accused man usually wore a type of scarf known as a snood.
He said he had not noticed anything about Mr Lorigan’s clothing that night but "in hindsight" he remembered his jeans were stained or marked.
During cross-examination, he told defence counsel Michael Bowman that he had been drinking since the morning of 6 January 2022 but had not drank to excess as he was coming off a binge.
Mr Bowman put it to him that Mr Lorigan would say he was not with Mr Burke that day.
Mr Burke said he thought Mr Lorigan may have arrived at the house in the evening time.
Mr Bowman put it to Mr Burke that he could be confused about dates and what happened because his client would say he did not stay at his house the night before, on 5 January, and had not been drinking with Mr Burke that day.
Mr Burke said whatever statement he gave to gardaí was "just and true" and rejected a suggestion that he could have been confused about dates and what happened.
Mr Bowman said the statement to gardaí did not match his recollection in the witness box.
He also put it to Mr Burke that Mr Lorigan did not go by the name ‘Mossy’ and that Mr Burke’s suggestion at one stage that his name was O’Connor was incorrect.
Mr Burke said he had only suggested the name O’Connor but that the accused man had introduced himself as ‘Mossy’ and this is the name he knew him by.
Mr Bowman also put it to the witness that his client would say he arrived back to his house around midnight and there was no conversation either then or the following morning.
Mr Bowman also said the accused man would say he never wore a pair of jeans or boots found at the house.
Mr Burke replied that as long as he knew Mossy he had always worn the boots.
In relation to a rain jacket taken from the house Mr Bowman said Mr Burke’s opinion that it belonged to Mr Lorigan could been informed by the fact that it was found in the room in which Mr Lorigan slept but it was not in fact his jacket.
Mr Burke replied that it was similar to one worn by Mr Lorigan.
He agreed with Mr Bowman that his front door at the time would be left unlocked but said no one ever came into his house without knocking.
The trial continues.
