THERE is still a sense of shock in Ennistymon today, following the murder of 87 year old Thomas O’Halloran in London.
On Thursday morning, Senator Martin Conway said, “The community of Ennistymon, the people I’ve spoken to in the last number of hours, are just bewildered. They’re so shocked, they can’t make sense of it, all they want to do is reach out to the family and support them in whatever way they can during this difficult period.”
Two of Mr O’Halloran’s brothers still live in the North Clare area, along with a number of other relations, and Senator Conway said the family wish to have their privacy respected at this time.
“His children and grandchildren in the UK are dealing with this as well and they are also in our thoughts. The O’Halloran family are a large family, Thomas had a number of siblings who are sadly no longer with us, but there are a lot of nieces and nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews, many of them living in the North Clare area, so this has impacted on a lot of people living locally.”
The circumstances of the death have been particularly appalling, he added. “Every murder is a tragedy, but the circumstances in this case are truly horrific.”
Councillor Shane Talty also said it was a terrible incident. “It’s an appalling tragedy to happen to an elderly gentlemen, clearly vulnerable, in a mobility scooter. It’s devastating for his immediate family, in particularly locally here for his brothers, his nieces and nephews and grand nieces and grand nephew. It’s a shock for them to deal with and the community is trying to support them in any way possible.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he had been shocked by the case. “It’s heartbreaking and it is a shock that an 87 year old grandfather, Mr O’Halloran, has been killed the way he was. Here was an elderly man in a mobility scooter stabbed to death in daylight.”
The killing has led to calls for a crackdown on violent crime in London, and Mr Khan added, “The local community have seen and will see over the next few days, more police officers visible in the community to reassure the community. I’m sure I speak on behalf of all Londoners when I say that Mr O’Halloran’s family are in our thoughts and prayers.”
A man was arrested in West London earlier today in relation to Mr O’Halloran’s death and Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, who is leading the investigation said:
“I would like to thank the public for their overwhelming support following this horrific incident. As a result of the release of a CCTV image yesterday, an arrest has been made and this investigation is progressing at pace.
“Mr O’Halloran’s family have been updated with this development and continue to be supported by specially trained officers. I would reiterate their previous request that their privacy is respected by everyone as they continue to come to terms with their tragic loss.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.