Court archive
2026-03-03 · Waterford
Declan Power has received permission from the High Court to challenge a Minister for Justice decision that bars him from living at his home within an 18-kilometre exclusion zone while on release. Declan Power pleaded guilty.
2021-11-16 · Tipperary
Patrick Quirke, aged 52, lost his appeal against a 2019 conviction for the murder of DJ Bobby "Mr Moonlight" Ryan, aged 52, whose decomposed body was found in a disused slurry tank on a farm leased by Quirke. The Court of Appeal rejected more than 50 grounds of appeal presented by Quirke's lawyers. Judge George Birmingham, delivering the judgment, said he was not persuaded by any of the arguments and expressed unease about the trial's extensive legal argument. He noted the trial was the longest in Irish history, lasting 71 days, and described the number of voir dire as extraordinary. Quirke was not present at the hearing but watched via video link. The court upheld the jury's guilty verdict and the life sentence imposed in 2019. The appeal court also dismissed the defence's claim that the trial judge should have declared the trial unfair. The judgment reaffirmed that the evidence, though circumstantial, was sufficient for conviction.
2020-10-09 · Tipperary
Patrick Quirke, aged 50, is appealing his conviction for the murder of Bobby "Mr Moonlight" Ryan, who was found dead in an underground tank in April 2013. The Court of Appeal heard that the appeal will involve 5,500 pages of trial transcript, with the State's documents still pending. Three days have been set aside for the hearing, with a possible extra day, and free legal aid has been approved. Quirke's counsel, Bernard Condon, aims to finish the appeal within the three days if possible. The appeal follows a 13‑week trial where a jury found Quirke guilty by a 10‑2 majority, and he received a mandatory life sentence. The case centres on allegations that Quirke killed Ryan to rekindle a relationship with Mary Lowry and staged the body's discovery after Lowry tried to terminate his lease. Quirke denies the murder and claims the prosecution failed to prove beyond suspicion, citing inconsistencies in Lowry's testimony.
2020-09-21 · Tipperary
Patrick Quirke, a 50‑year‑old farmer from Breanshamore, Co. Tipperary, is appealing his conviction for the murder of Bobby 'Mr Moonlight' Ryan, a 52‑year‑old part‑time DJ who vanished on 3 June 2011. The body was found in an underground run‑off tank on Ms Lowry's farm, leased by Quirke, in April 2013. Quirke denies the murder, arguing the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond suspicion and that Mary Lowry, the alleged witness, is unreliable. The Central Criminal Court jury found him guilty by a 10‑2 majority after 13 weeks of trial, and he received a mandatory life sentence. The Court of Appeal will hear his appeal remotely on 13 October, with both sides submitting over 100 pages of legal material. The hearing is expected to last less than four days, though the exact duration remains to be confirmed by the court. The case remains at the appeal stage, with no further outcome announced.
2020-09-15 · Tipperary
Patrick Quirke, a 50‑year‑old farmer from Breanshamore, Co. Tipperary, is appealing his conviction for the murder of Bobby Ryan, a 52‑year‑old part‑time DJ known as 'Mr Moonlight'. The Court of Appeal heard that the appeal could last up to four days, though the President, Mr Justice George Birmingham, hoped for a shorter hearing. Quirke denies murdering Ryan, who disappeared on 3 June 2011 after leaving his girlfriend Mary Lowry's house. Ryan's body was found in an underground run‑off tank on Lowry's farm, leased by Quirke, in April 2013. The prosecution argued Quirke killed Ryan to rekindle a relationship with Lowry and staged the body's discovery after Lowry sought to terminate the lease. Quirke's lawyers claim the evidence is inconsistent and unreliable, particularly Lowry's testimony.
2019-12-17 · Tipperary
During a 13‑week trial, the prosecution presented circumstantial evidence linking Patrick Quirke to the murder of Bobby Ryan, arguing that Quirke's jealousy and financial dependence on Mary Lowry motivated the killing. Quirke had leased Lowry's land, had a sexual relationship with her, and was seen at her home on the day Ryan disappeared. He claimed he discovered Ryan's body in a waste‑water tank on 30 April 2013, describing the tank as partially full and the body as a "carpet or inflatable doll." Forensic entomology suggested the body had been present for at least 11 days. The defence argued the evidence was unreliable, citing inconsistencies in Lowry's testimony, lack of independent evidence of Quirke's motive, and questioning the integrity of the tank's condition. The jury ultimately convicted Quirke by a majority verdict for Ryan's murder.
2019-12-16 · Tipperary
Patrick Quirke, a 50‑year‑old farmer from Breanshamore, Co. Tipperary, has been granted a hearing in October to appeal his conviction for the murder of Bobby Ryan, a part‑time DJ known as 'Mr Moonlight'. Ryan disappeared on 3 June 2011 after leaving the home of his girlfriend, Mary Lowry, and his body was found in an underground run‑off tank on Lowry's farm in April 2013. The prosecution argued Quirke killed Ryan to rekindle a relationship with Lowry and staged the body's discovery after Lowry tried to terminate his lease. Quirke's lawyers contended the evidence was merely suspicious, citing inconsistencies in Lowry's testimony and questioning her reliability. A Central Criminal Court jury found Quirke guilty after 20 hours and 39 minutes of deliberation, and he received a mandatory life sentence on 1 May 2019. The Court of Appeal has set 13 October for the appeal hearing, which is expected to last four days.
2019-04-11 · Tipperary
In the 2019 trial of farmer Patrick Quirke, who denies murdering his rival Bobby Ryan, the prosecution presented a circumstantial case described by counsel Michael Bowman SC as "forensically barren." Bowman urged the jury to rely on common sense, arguing that the evidence would compel a guilty verdict. He highlighted the absence of a weapon, precise location or time of death, and the lack of forensic traces. Bowman recounted alleged attempts by Quirke to sabotage Ryan's relationship with Mary Lowry, including a phone text, a report to Tusla, and a letter to a newspaper. He also cited CCTV footage of Quirke near Lowry's shed, Google searches on body decomposition, and the discovery of Ryan's body in a sealed underground tank. Bowman emphasized the improbability of coincidence, suggesting deliberate planning behind the disappearance and death of Bobby Ryan. The trial focused on these points without concluding a verdict. Patrick Quirke pleaded not guilty.
2019-04-08 · Tipperary
The trial of Farmer Patrick Quirke, 50, of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, continued before Justice Eileen Creedon. Quirke, who has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of Bobby Ryan, a part-time DJ known as Mr Moonlight, faced cross-examination regarding internet searches for "body decomposition timeline." Quirke told gardai his son had recently died, stating, "That's all I'm saying." However, prosecution evidence indicated a similar search occurred in July 2012, prior to his son's death in August 2012, which gardai argued undermined his explanation. Quirke denied that this prior search invalidated his account for later searches. The court heard that gardai sent a sub aqua unit to Ardmore, Co Waterford, after a water diviner claimed the body would be found there. Quirke was arrested in June 2014 and interviewed regarding a seized hard drive containing searches on DNA limitations and decomposition. He denied staging the discovery of Ryan's body, which was found in an underground tank on a farm leased by Quirke in April 2013. Quirke alleged gardai did not properly investigate previously dropped assault charges against him. The prosecution claimed Quirke murdered Ryan to rekindle an affair with Mary Lowry. Quirke maintained his innocence, questioning the logic of murdering a man and then revealing the body's location. The jury was adjourned until Thursday.
2019-03-12 · Tipperary
During a 2013 search of Patrick Quirke's home, Garda John Walsh found a handwritten note on an A‑4 sheet that mentioned Mary Lowry and the disappearance of Bobby Ryan. The note, which was underlined and read "Mary last one to see him" and "body naked, either murdered and clothes taken off or never left the house," also contained a series of questions directed at Mary Lowry about her actions on the day of Ryan's disappearance. Quirke, aged 50, has pleaded not guilty to Ryan's murder. Ryan vanished on 3 June 2011 after leaving Lowry's home and was found in an underground run‑off tank in April 2013. The prosecution alleges Quirke killed Ryan to rekindle an affair with Lowry, who is 52. The trial, before Justice Eileen Creedon and a twelve‑person jury, has also heard testimony about a hotel booking made under Quirke's name and the seizure of various electronic devices and physical evidence from Quirke's property.