Mary Lowry visited psychic after Bobby Ryan disappeared

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

Mary Lowry visited a psychic after her boyfriend Bobby Ryan disappeared, her brother told Patrick Quirke’s murder trial at the Central Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 29 March 2019.

Quirke pleaded not guilty to murdering Ryan. The prosecution claimed Quirke killed Ryan so he could rekindle an affair with Lowry. The trial was continuing before Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury.

Ryan, a part-time DJ known as Mr Moonlight, went missing on 3 June 2011 after leaving Lowry’s home. His body was found in April 2013 in an underground run-off tank on her Tipperary farm, which was leased by Quirke.

Eddie Quigley told prosecution counsel Michael Bowman that Lowry visited the psychic in Nenagh to see if it could help. He also said Quirke called his sister a “right bitch” and threatened to remove her from a Mass for his son.

Acting State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis, called by the defence, said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and that a moving vehicle was the most likely mechanism, though other possibilities included a baton or baseball bat. He said falling masonry could have caused some injuries and described the pathology evidence as “sub-optimal”.

Under cross-examination by Bowman, Curtis agreed that the way gardaí removed the body was “wholly appropriate” and that any head injury could have caused immediate unconsciousness. He also agreed that a vehicle causing the injuries would have suffered significant damage, most likely to its windscreen or roof.