Uncle of Joe Deacy hopes Mayo memorial walk will 'prick someone's conscience' to come forward

THE uncle of Joe Deacy hopes that the latest media coverage surrounding the eighth anniversary of his death will 'prick someone's conscience' and come forward with fresh information.

Family members and friends of Joe Deacy took part in the annual Joe Deacy Memorial Walk on Sunday to mark the 8th anniversary of his death, by walking to the property of Peter and Anne Byrne at Gortnasillagh, Swinford, the location of where he was found unconscious in the early hours of August 12, 2017.

There was fresh interest in this year's memorial walk after it was described in a July court hearing by Peter Byrne as a 'march' organised by a group who are 'uninvited and unwelcome'. He claimed that each year the walk 'stokes anger online and in person hatred towards my family and I'.

Joe, who was from St Alban's Hertfordshire, UK was found unconscious on the driveway of the property and died the following day in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. A subsequent post mortem found the cause of death was due to blunt force trauma, which resulted in gardaí opening a murder investigation.

Garda presence

A GARDA presence accompanied Sunday's walk which was attended by a crowd of close to 100 people. Flowers were laid at the entrance while Paul Deacy, uncle of Joe, read out a letter addressed to the Byrnes calling on them to explain what happened to Joe that night.

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Speaking to The Mayo News following the walk, Mr Deacy said that he wanted to use the event to 'speak directly' to them through security cameras mounted at the entrance.

“Eight years has been long enough so we hope that the people who know what happened to Joe that night come forward and speak instead of trying to portray themselves as the victims,” he told The Mayo News.

“We can only hope that they actually realise that they need to come forward and share information. There are still too many unanswered questions of what happened that night and actions that happened after that night which need explaining. There are far too many.

Joe Deacy died a day after he was found unconscious outside a home near Swinford

“We are never going to give up but now is the time for people to speak. The names of the people who were in the house where he was found are now out in the public domain. They are trying to portray themselves as the victims but I say to them come and answer some questions.

“We just hope someone will come forward now and this will prick someone's conscience to come forward and say something. Speak to the guards or someone so we can get something moving,” he said.

Frustration

PAUL explained that there is still frustration that the family had been initially told that Joe had suffered injuries as a result of a fall and who provided that information to the authorities is yet to be relayed to them.

“Anyone with an ounce of common sense would have realised if they had seen Joe, and we saw Joe on Saturday evening in Beaumont, that the injuries were not contusive with a fall. No way, not in a month of Sundays. It was absolutely madness for anyone to think that but that is what was reported to us. Who actually said it was from a fall and where did they get that from? We were never told who informed the guards it was from a fall,” he said.

Among the crowd who attended the walk was a woman who travelled from Co Clare who informed the Deacy family that she was a recipient of two of Joe's organs which were donated after his death.

Paul described meeting the woman as 'a surreal moment' but was grateful that Joe's death had helped another person experience a new lease of life.

“It was heartbreaking to hear in one way but a joy in another way that Joe's organs have allowed this woman to live a healthy life. It was lovely to hear and for her to share that with us. She came up yesterday with her husband and spoke to me after I had spoken at the house. It was a bit of a surreal moment and difficult to take in but once you do take it in you appreciate what she has done. She is very thankful to receive Joe's organs and give her a new lease of life and support us in finding justice for Joe,” he said.