The 33-year old north Clare man charged with the murder of Lisdoonvarna pensioner, John (Jack) O’Neill is due to go on trial for the alleged offence at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin next week.
It is now just over two years since Thomas Lorigan of no fixed abode was charged with the murder of grand-father, Mr O’Neill (79) at St Brendan’s Rd, Lisdoonvarna at an unknown time on the 6th/7th of January 2022.
Formerly of Ennistymon in north Clare, Mr Lorigan was first charged at a special late night sitting of Ennis District Court on Saturday, January 8th 2022.
When initially arrested and charged on January 8th 2022 with the alleged murder, Mr Lorigan said ‘no comment’.
A spokesman for the Courts Service said this week that the Thomas Lorigan case “is listed for trial on January 15th at the Criminal Courts of Justice Dublin”.
Mr Lorigan was first returned for trial at Ennis District Court in April 2022 and the court was told on that date Mr Lorigan had secured bail in the High Court on March 3rd 2022 but had been unable to meet bail conditions set down by the High Court and remained at that time on remand in custody.
Mr Lorigan was provided with an alibi warning by Judge Colm Roberts as part of the return to trial procedure.
On that court date, solicitor for Mr Lorigan, Darragh Hassett said that given the gravity of the charge, he would be applying for the legal aid certificate to be extended to cover a senior counsel and a junior counsel to also represent Mr Lorigan in the Central Criminal Court.
The deceased in the case, father-of-two, John O’Neill at the time of his death had only recently lost his wife, Christine and ran a B&B in Lisdoonvarna.
