Files released after RTÉ programme on 80 year-old murder

Files released after RTÉ programme on 1920’s murder


Michael Commins

FOR many years, it was the story that was “hush hush” in the land of the Decies. But the Case of the Missing Postman remained strong in the folk memory around the village of Stradbally on the Waterford coast.
Well known Ballyhaunis man, Seamus Mulrennan, is a grandson of Larry Griffin, the postman who went missing on Christmas Day back in 1929. Marie Finnerty (nee Mulrennan), Creagh, Ballinrobe, is a granddaughter. Seamus has been to the fore in pursuing the case and remains convinced that it can be solved and the body of his grandfather found and interred in the local cemetery down in Waterford.
Gardai are now finally to deliver up their case file on a notorious 80-year-old murder, the disappearance of a postman in Stradbally, Co Waterford on Christmas Day, 1929.
The family are now hoping evidence the files could still be used to solve the mystery of his disappearance.
Seamus Mulrennan, who wrote twice to the garda commissioner requesting to see the file, said he is delighted to hear it will finally be handed over this week. “We were always hopeful the body would be found,” he said. “Nobody has anything to fear from this development. We are not trying to upset anyone. All we ever wanted was to get the truth.
“If we could get any information which might help locate the body, and if we could give him a Christian burial even at this late stage, it would give the family closure.”
Griffin’s unsolved disappearance is one of the “cold cases” being re-examined for a CSI-style series on RTE, which begins tomorrow.
Despite months of intensive searches by gardai, under the eye of British and Irish media, Griffin’s body was never found. The postman’s abandoned bi-cycle and cape, discovered on St Stephen’s Day, 1929 on a country road two miles from Stradbally, remained the only trace.
The case became notorious when ten local people were charged with the murder, including two gardai, the local school principal, a publican and three members of the publican’s family.
Many question marks have hung over this case all through the decades. It became notorious in Ireland and overseas when ten local people were charged with his murder, including two members of An Garda SíochΡna, the local school principal, a publican and three members of the publican’s family. However, the case against them collapsed when the chief prosecution witness withdrew his evidence and no trace was ever found of Larry Griffin’s body.
Reporter on the show, Fachtna Ó Drisceoil, says that for 80 years the doors of Stradbally, Co Waterford and the Garda files on the case remained firmly shut against anyone trying to investigate the story.
“Numerous successful libel actions taken by the former defendants, further discouraged media interest. However, all those involved have passed on. Government files on the case have recently become available, and the RTÉ CSÍ series has also exclusively obtained copies of original witness statements from the Garda investigation of the alleged murder. The airing of the special show on RTE this week may play a crucial role in solving the mystery of Larry Griffin, the Missing Postman, eight decades after his disappearance and finally bring closure to a story has refused to go away.