A community in south Leitrim formed a guard of honour for the late Liam Farrell at Cloonmorris Cemetery in Bornoacoola this morning before the remains of the 87-year-old retired farmer - exhumed 13 days ago for a forensic post-mortem examination - were reinterred.
Mr Farrell's remains were exhumed following an order granted by Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, and taken to Dublin on Friday 10 April.
Gardaí have not disclosed the results of the forensic post-mortem exam that forms part of a renewed investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Farrell's death, saying that an update will be issued as the investigation progresses.
Since 87-year-old Liam Farrell died on 12 January 2020, his family have searched for answers about the circumstances surrounding his death.
An inquest into his death returned an open verdict. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly appointed the Serious Crime Review Team with reviewing the original investigation last October.
Mr Farrell's son Brendan Farrell told RTÉ News they would "like to thank the Serious Crimes Cold Case [Review] team for their handling of such a dignified exhumation and burial" for their father.
"We would like to thank the hundreds of people who attended to pay their respects and who formed a guard of honour. It's a testament to our late father. I’d like to thank Fr Sean Burke who officiated at the burial and the exhumation," he said.
Ahead of the reinterment, Brendan Farrell renewed his appeal to the public for any information that may help investigating detectives get clarity on the circumstances surrounding his father's death.
"We would also appeal to anyone who may have information about the weekend of our father’s death, 12 January 2020, to please come forward to the Serious Crimes Cold Case [Review] Team.
"No matter how big or small, it can make a world of difference to the investigating detectives," he said.
Detective Chief Superintendent Des McTiernan said the exhumation was an attempt to address the case forensically to get clarity on the circumstances surrounding Mr Farrell's death.
Mr Farrell was found in an unresponsive state by his family at the rear of his home in the village of Rooskey, Co Leitrim, on 12 January 2020.
Mr Farrell lived alone and as was his routine, he went to socialise in two pubs in his local village on the night of Saturday 11 January 2020.
He left home before 9pm and completed the 10-minute walk to Reynold's Pub. He left about 10.30pm to go next door to the Weir Lodge.
He left the Weir Lodge about 12.15am, crossed to the river side, facing the traffic, where it is estimated he arrived home ten minutes later.
The following afternoon, after 3pm, he was discovered by a family member at the rear of his home.
He was covered in blood, had bruising to his left eye and his feet, his shoes and socks had been removed and his watch was broken.
Mr Farrell was pronounced dead that evening in hospital.
When gardaí arrived at the house, they sealed it off, a cordon was put up and a forensic team gathered evidence.
At the time, gardaí submitted a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions. No prosecution was directed.
A post-mortem examination concluded Mr Farrell died as a result of a heart attack.
The pathologist who conducted the post-mortem told the inquest that had he known that the body had been taken from a scene that was suspicious, he would have refused to conduct the examination and insisted a forensic pathologist be drafted in to conduct more detailed evidence gathering.
That initial post-mortem examination was later reviewed by State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan, who said that the "pattern of injuries on the face and hands" raised some concerns and that the bruises on Mr Farrell's hands and fingers may have been defence injuries.
She outlined two possible scenarios.
In one, Mr Farrell experienced a heart attack during which he fell and injured himself. In the other, the injuries were sustained as a result of an assault.
She added that the injuries were not inconsistent with either option.
Following the inquest into Mr Farrell's death in September 2024, former garda commissioner Drew Harris appointed a senior investigating officer to carry out a peer review of the original investigation.
Following that review, and a subsequent special report on RTÉ's Prime Time on the case last September, the Farrell family met with Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan.
Last October, Commissioner Kelly informed the family that the Serious Crime Review Team would re-examine the case.
Following the exhumation of Mr Farrell’s remains on 10 April, Det Chief Supt McTiernan emphasised the importance of getting clarity on the details of the case.
Det Chief Supt McTiernan said his team had carried out interviews with people in Rooskey who were interviewed at the time of the original investigation.
He commended the support the Serious Crime Review Team received in the community and added it was important to appeal to people to come forward with any information that may assist their work; even if they felt that information was not important.
