Lines of Enquiry

In this episode of Lines of Enquiry: Case Notes, Nules Ní Chléirigh, creator and host of Ireland Crimes and Mysteries, returns for another conversation with John Sweetman.This time, they look further back into Ireland’s criminal history, discussing Maamtrasna and the murder at Shandy Hall. They explore wrongful convictions, language barriers at trial and the lack of forensic science during these times, and how these stories live on generations later.Turning to more recent investigations, John and Nules discuss the challenges of revisiting unsolved murders and disappearances, including Raonaid Murray, Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob. They reflect on the limits of searches, the potential of advances in forensic techniques, and why a lack of public updates does not necessarily mean an investigation has stopped.They also discuss how speaking with families can reveal a person beyond the headlines, sharing interests, ambitions and everyday details that help ensure a victim’s life is not defined solely by their death.If you’d like to get in touch, email [email protected] and follow @linesofenquirypodcast on Instagram.This episode was brought to you by Finance Solutions, because when you’re making a decision as important as buying a home, you want to know you’re dealing with people you can trust.Finance Solutions helps thousands of people buy homes or switch their mortgages in Ireland every year, and with more than 3,000 five star Google reviews, there are plenty of people who’ve already put their trust in their team.They offer simple, mortgage advice, tailored to you and your circumstances.Visit financesolutions.ie to get started. A short 10 minute call is all it takes to help them understand your needs.

In the summer of 2024 social workers from Tusla were trying to establish the whereabouts of an eight-year-old boy, named Kyran Durnin. They had concerns about his welfare, and where he might be living.  In July, a child was brought to meet them, and they were told it was Kyran. A second meeting followed in early August, and again the social workers were told the child was Kyran.Then, weeks later, Kyran and his mother Dayla were reported missing. As Gardaí begin investigating, they obtained family photographs of Kyran and showed them to the officials who attended those meetings. Social workers realise the boy in the photographs is not the child they met.   Soon, detectives realise they can find no trace of Kyran in recent months, or even years. Eventually gardai will tell the public they believe Kyran to be “missing, presumed dead”.This week we look at the still unresolved case of the missing Kyran Durnin, an ongoing investigation which has now for two years been trying to establish where Kyran is, and what may have happened to him. Alongside the garda investigation, there have been serious questions raised about how a child could disappear from the view of all public authorities for so long without anyone realising he was gone.This episode is not an attempt to solve an active case from the outside. It is an examination of the verified timeline and the gaps within it, that allowed Kyran to vanish.Presented by John Sweetman  Created by Darren Cleary  Written by Darren Cleary  Script Edited by Siobhan Walsh, Sam Hobson and Eoin Brennan  Produced by Sam Hobson  Senior Producer by Siobhan Walsh  Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan  Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons  Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh  Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith  Marketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín Reilly  Social Media Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree  Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

In County Donegal in 1988, 18-year-old Anne Gillespie was looking forward to a future beyond her hometown of Ballybofey. Despite her close friendships and a tight bond with her mother Annie, after Anne sat her leaving cert she had started to dream of a life of her own. But not everyone in her life was happy when Anne started to grow more independent - and soon she and her mother would find themselves targeted by a man consumed by rage, jealousy and obsession.Presented by John SweetmanCreated by Darren ClearyWritten by Anna PriestlandScript Edited by Siobhan Walsh, Sam Hobson and Eoin BrennanProduced by Sam HobsonSenior Produced by Siobhan WalshExecutive Produced by Eoin BrennanExecutive Produced by Ruth FitzsimonsSound Design and Editing by Neil KavanaghAudio Editing Support by Ed SmithMarketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín ReillySocial Media Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn ReeArtwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

In the early hours of Thursday, the 13th of February, 1997, 17-year-old Ciara Breen disappeared from her home on Bachelor’s Walk in Dundalk. Her bed was empty. The front window had been left open. There was no packed bag, no money missing, and nothing to suggest she had planned to stay away. At first, it looked like Ciara had slipped out quietly into the night, leaving herself a way back in. But what began as a missing person investigation would become something far more complex. Over the years that followed, Gardaí would follow rumours, witness accounts, public appeals and searches through difficult ground, as one question continued to haunt Ciara’s family and the town she vanished from. What happened after Ciara left that house? Presented by John SweetmanCreated by Darren ClearyEpisode Written by Darren ClearyScript Edited by Eoin BrennanProduced by Siobhan WalshProduced by Siobhán MaguireExecutive Produced by Eoin BrennanExecutive Produced by Ruth FitzsimonsSound Design and Editing by Neil KavanaghAudio Editing Support by Ed SmithMarketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín ReillySocial Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn ReeArtwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree