James Kilroy’s appeal against murder conviction set for January

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

James Kilroy, who is serving a life sentence for murdering his wife, Valerie French Kilroy, is due to have his conviction appeal heard on 19 January 2027. The proceedings were reported on 18 July 2026.

At the Court of Appeal on 17 July 2026, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy fixed the hearing date. Kilroy’s barrister, Conor McKenna, said appeal submissions had been lodged that morning and asked that a day be set aside for the hearing.

Kilroy was unanimously convicted at the Central Criminal Court of murdering Valerie French Kilroy at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo, between 13 and 14 June 2019. He had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His conviction followed a third trial; the two previous trials collapsed because of unforeseen difficulties during the evidence.

After Valerie French Kilroy returned from visiting friends on 13 June 2019, Kilroy attacked her with a knife, beat her and strangled her. He was found wandering naked in a nearby field on the morning of 14 June.

Kilroy told gardaí and psychiatrists of delusional beliefs, including that his wife was working with Donald Trump’s bodyguards to capture, torture and kill him. Prosecution expert Professor Harry Kennedy said Kilroy was most likely suffering from cannabis intoxication or withdrawal, which was not a defence to murder. The defence said he was not intoxicated at the time but was suffering from cannabis-induced psychosis or a transient psychotic disorder.

The jury rejected the insanity defence and convicted him of murder. Mr Justice Tony Hunt imposed the mandatory life sentence.