The Killing of Fr Niall Molloy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117885236#Comment_117885236

It’s very possible - certainly given the limited things we know around the lent deposit for land etc there’s every possibility that could have been the reason - if he was leaving the church then he’ll have wanted liquid capital as his source of income, limited as it might have been will have been stopped after he left.

Tork

If ending their partnership was on Fr. Molloy's mind, why would he choose the weekend of a family wedding? He was a frequent visitor to the house so it wasn't as if there wouldn't be plenty of other opportunities to have this conversation. It's more likely that there was something going on in the background that was going to have to be dealt with at some stage soon after that. Somebody said something and it all escalated.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117885388#Comment_117885388

I think it would have been hard for Fr Flynn to bite his tongue and not say anything about the money owed given the amount the Flynns had spent on the wedding that weekend. The Flynns couldnt use lack of funds as an excuse anymore. I think he waited until the Sunday to bring this up.

I know if someone owed me alot of money and they had spent such a huge amount on a wedding I would be pretty annoyed - wouldnt you?

Tork

I'm sure he was pissed off but you have missed my point. Poster before me suggested he was going to tell Teresa Flynn that weekend that he'd be ending their partnership. Why would he do that when there'd be so many distractions at the house? It might not even have been triggered by the party going on around them.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117885413#Comment_117885413

Depends, the daughter was marrying into a pretty wealthy family. For all we know, the Flynns could have promised Fr Molloy their new in-laws would cover the debts. It was pretty telling (to me) that the neighbour said Fr Molloy made all the decisions about what happened in the Flynn household, farm-wise. that's a pretty loaded comment to make about the input the husband had to the marriage, imo.

Gadgetman496

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117885516#Comment_117885516

Maybe he knew there would be a hostile reaction and that he might indeed get a slap so he wanted plenty around in the hope that wouldn't happen?

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117885516#Comment_117885516

Ending a partnership means he wanted his money back. I think the big splash wedding triggered something in him that he couldnt stay quiet anymore. He very well could have worked out that his funds paid for the wedding. The lavish wedding was the trigger in my opinion - it was the straw that broke the relationship.

He was the Flynns cash machine and he didnt want to be that anymore.

Spencer101

Why on earth would the Parkes have wanted anything to do with Mr & Mrs Flynn's 'all fur coat and no knickers' approach to life ? No doubt of course Molloy could have been all sorts of things- whether any of them were true is another issue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117886000#Comment_117886000

Because the Flynns are now their in-laws, and they'd have at least one grandchild in common etc.

If you look at how much of Limerick the Parkes still own or have developed you'll get an idea of their wealth. The sum Fr Molloy was looking for, while a lot to rest of us, wouldn't have been much for their new son-in-law to find. Anyhow, it's not like it ever came to it, it's just odd people think the Flynn's took the nuclear option of killing a man (or beating him and not calling help) over a debt their daughter could have probably solved for them easily enough.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117886037#Comment_117886037

I think the Parkes thought their son was marrying into a wealthy family. I dont think they would have been happy if they had to bail out their sons new in laws. The Flynns were out to impress the Parkes with the wedding. There is no way the Parkes would be paying the Flynns debts - that would be madness and embarrassing for the Flynns to stoop so low and lose social standing.

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117885516#Comment_117885516

He may not have been frequenting kilcoursey house and farm as much if at all as before if any issues were not being addressed and not looking forward to the wedding weekend would reinforce his concerns

Spencer101

Harveyhunt - you must be single.

Sy Kick

It could well have been the spark that set things off. Molloy announcing that he would go to the Parkes. Something along the lines of you spent my money on your wedding. Their wedding. Are you going to give me my money back? Are they going give me my money back?

This would be the ultimate nightmare and humiliation. Trying to maintain the facade of being the bigshots. Asset rich, cash poor, business failing. The peaceful, biddable priest had been the last straw they were clutching at. He had always been good for cash injections. No paperwork, never looking for money back. Now their friend was going to make a stand. He was firm and wasn't been talked down. An explosive moment of passion and fury. Could take half a minute to deliver six blows. Then it can't be taken back.

Spencer101

Why would he go to the Parkes ? Does anyone know he even met them apart from briefly at a wedding which he seemingly wasn't much interested in. But we are arguing over nothing much as it seems he told the Byrnes something. It seems more likely he threatened to get a court judgment against them.

Sy Kick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117886515#Comment_117886515

Because the marquee and free bar that their son had his wedding reception in was paid for unwittingly by Molloy. At least he could have perceived it that way. He could have known either conciously or subconciously that it was a weak point for the Flynns. A leverage. The one thing that terrified them. The loss of face. It doesn't matter whether it made any sense for Molloy to go through with this. Only the reaction it might have excited in his (inebriated)killer.

Reminder part 2 is on tonight RTÉ 1 after the 9. news- Ian Bailey on virgin media 9pm so a right Irish murder evening

beertons

Caught the first episode on the player earlier, all set for the next episode.

tipptom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117886904#Comment_117886904

There is some saying that the body may have been moved

What would the thinking be behind them moving the body from where ever it may have occured in to the Flynns bedroom

Surely this would have been the worst place to have it moved to,considering what would be said afterwards

Catholic Church coming off very badly this evening - another cover up

cap.in.hand.

Looks like it was downstairs the main assault took place and then carried up to the bedroom

Dual wheels

some interesting insights this evening, the son saying their bond was stronger than any marriage?? And they used to stay in a hotel in Dublin, I’d be very surprised if they weren’t having an affair... I would agree with the version at the end that there were other people in the house and that he was beaten downstairs, everyone legged it and fr Molloy was dragged upstairs to the bedroom probably kicked some more and assumed dead

Xander10

Watched it. Blood boiling. A horrible case of cover up by the rich and heads of state. And the blackening of the poor priest's name.

sligojoek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117887115#Comment_117887115

Flynns rang the priest . The priest rang the bishop. All before anyone thought to ring an ambulance and then the guards.

Stinks to high heaven. (pun not intended)

chicorytip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117887466#Comment_117887466

Why would his assailant/s do that? It would make no sense. The evidence points to the fatal assault having taken place in the bedroom. You had the blood stained carpet, blood splatters on the door next to where the body lay and blood in the en-suite bathroom. I heard no mention of any similar findings downstairs although there were blood marks on the stairs.

Tork

First priority was to get Mrs Flynn out of there before she gave the game away.

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117887604#Comment_117887604

Exactly, as said above, surely the worst place to move a body to. To my mind the Judge has an awful lot of questions to answer. What was said to him in the absence of a jury ? So much for justice being done in public. It just doesn’t seem right that a Judge can basically dismiss a criminal trial without giving any explanation.

Deeec

It would seem there were several witness's to the crime and several people were staying in the house that night yet nobody seen or heard anything. The question remaining for me is why so many people have stayed silent on this matter. What hold did the Flynns have over these people?

Relationships change over the passage of time - you would think after all these years someone would reveal what actually happened.

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117887604#Comment_117887604

They may have carried him up to the bedroom thinking that he may come around and with a bathroom close by ...to facilitate to clean wounds inflicted...but it would be all in vain

chicorytip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117887684#Comment_117887684

Perhaps, but that could have been done downstairs where there was a kitchen, obviously, and given the type of house it was, possibly a ground floor bathroom as well. Alan Dukes summed it up. Those searching for explanations are unlikely to ever find them.

HildaOgdenx

Haven't watched yet, but I was thinking about it since watching part one. I wonder if they did move the body to the bedroom, knowing that would send suspicion all over the place, with people jumping to all sorts of conclusions.

FWIW, I do not believe there was any relationship beyond friendship between Fr Molloy and Mrs Flynn. The story about a row over drinks was beyond ridiculous, I don't suppose anyone believed that for a second.

The Gardaí were presented with a scene, a bedroom where the man was lying dead, and downstairs the (supposed) perpetrator saying he did it. They had no reason to look elsewhere in the house. It was the mid 80s. There have been lots of advances in forensic science and whatever else since then. Nowadays, the whole house would probably be cordoned off, and searched from top to bottom.

My heart goes out to his family. And while, of course, we are all equally entitled to our views and opinions on what may or may not have happened, I will always try to approach such things by imagining myself in the shoes of his family, and how hurtful speculation about his relationship with Mrs Flynn, must be.

Not to mention how horribly and horrifically they have been let down by the justice system.

I don't suppose the truth will ever be known. Some have taken the secret of what they did or did not do, to their graves.

I commend his family for the battle they have taken on, and continue to fight.