Miriam Lord: Lucia O'Farrell shows Dáil the formidable power of a mother's love for her son
Every day, without fail, Lucia O'Farrell goes to a cemetery outside Carrickmacross to visit her beloved son, Shane.
He shouldn't be dead.
The 23-year-old law student was killed by a hit-and-run driver when out training for a triathlon in August 2011. The driver, a man with a string of criminal convictions, was out on bail when he should have been in jail.
Since then, his mother has tirelessly campaigned to find the truth behind his needless death. And as the years passed without any answers, she persevered, despite being stonewalled by evasive government departments and State agencies and fobbed off with sympathetic words and unfulfilled promises.
READ MORE
Others might have given up. But not the indomitable Lucia.
Then, after the long days pursuing more leads and presenting her extensive evidence to the people in power; going to whoever it had to be wherever they happened to be to be to make her case and call for justice, she always returned home to
Monaghan
, to be with Shane.
'Thirteen years, nine months and 20 days – a long time campaigning,' she remarked outside the gates of Leinster House on Tuesday, her husband Jim and four daughters, Hannah, Gemma, Aimee and Pia, by her side.
They were about to go into the Dáil chamber to hear the Minister for Justice issue a public apology on behalf of the Government for systemic failings in the criminal justice system that led to their Shane's death. Moreover,
Jim O'Callaghan
would announce a change in the law, a fast-track review of the bail system and a Department of Justice-funded UCD scholarship in law graduate Shane's name.
Anyone involved in Irish politics at a national level over the last decade or so is familiar with the case. As was pointed in many of the Dáil statements following the public apology, Lucia O'Farrell was a very familiar person around Leinster House.
'In and out of TDs and Senators offices' as one speaker put it.
Which is true. Not that it got Lucia and Jim very far, until now.
How strange it must have felt for her and the family to now be seated, not in the public gallery, but in the chamber itself, in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery, which is reserved for VIP guests.
On Tuesday evening, the TDs were calling up to the O'Farrells to shake their hands.
Everyone knew the story. They also knew it wasn't their story to claim.
The reason the Dáil was in session for a very rare
public apology from the Government
was not down to the power of politicians and their ability and will to get things done. It was down to the determination of one woman who simply refused to take no for an answer.
In a very moving couple of hours in a hushed chamber, the Dáil gave way to the formidable power of a mother's love for her son.
A fact repeated time and again as TDs wiped tears from their eyes and accomplished speakers struggled to control their emotions.
Again, after the years of stonewalling and sidestepping, how must it have felt to have the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste sitting side by side, acknowledging how the system failed Shane and how the State would honour his memory by doing better by others?
The Dáil was united in support, empathy and compassion for the family, said Taoiseach
Micheál Martin
, telling Lucia O'Farrell that her battle 'has been long, but not in vain'.
'One of the most fundamental duties of the State is to keep people safe' he said. 'The O'Farrell family deserve better. Shane deserved better.'
Tánaiste
Simon Harris
, echoing the overriding sentiment of the day, stood in awe 'of the might of a mother fighting for justice'. He said the harrowing events of August 2011 became 'a living nightmare for the O'Farrell family' but 'her son's memory lives on thanks to her enduring love.'.
At one point, Ceann Comhairle
Verona Murphy
came into the chamber. She wasn't wearing her robes of office, but there as a mere TD who had also met the family many times. She sat outside the rail listening to the statements for a while before quietly going over to the family to welcome them to the Dáil.
Jim O'Callaghan, as minister, made a businesslike speech – and it was all the better for that. He had spoken many times in support of the family and their call for a public inquiry. Now, less than six months in office, he was doing something concrete to follow up on his words.
He would not be ordering an inquiry. Instead, there would be a review carried out by a senior counsel with a four-month delivery deadline attached.
Why spend years on an inquiry when the facts are already known? He read them in detail into the record.
'I need neither more, nor further entrenchment, of those facts in order to face up to my responsibility as Minister for Justice,' he said. Nor did he need any more information to acknowledge the State's responsibility 'for failings in our system that exposed Shane to danger on that fateful day'.
What was the point in a report that would have people 'lawyering up', ending in a process that would go on for years?
When he mentioned the scholarship in Shane's name, his sisters smiled a little and wept quiet tears. He was a graduate of both UCD and TCD, was doing his master's and had a big career in law in advance of him when he was struck down.
Sinn Féin's
Mary Lou McDonald
described meeting Lucia and Jim down through the years: 'A formidable Irish mammy and daddy who took on the powers of the State and never flinched. Not once.'
It was an emotional, highly charged session.
Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy, who is from Carrickmacross, filled up as he finished a powerful address on the Government's 'final acknowledgment that the family was right in its campaign'.
He called for further information held by the Garda to be published.
'I hope you know that today would not have happened without your efforts,' he told Lucia, voice cracking as colleagues welled up around him.
The passionate contribution from Fianna Fáil's John McGuinness stopped people in their tracks. The Kilkenny TD has long been a supporter of Lucia O'Farrell, speaking publicly about her fight justice over many years.
At times, he was something of a lone voice as the rest of the establishment seemed to move on from this particular cause.
He was 'thrilled' to witness this State apology, but wasn't about to give the political world a clap on the back for its part in bringing it about.
Lucia 'painted a picture of a State and a system that was rotten. It wasn't the Government and system who uncovered all the wrongdoings. It was Lucia O'Farrell'.
This should have been their work but 'she told us to do the job'.
In what some will see as a swipe at his party leader, McGuinness praised Jim O'Callaghan for taking action in 'a piece of leadership action others should take note of'. Politicians are not in the Dáil 'to be blindly led by party whips'.
Lucia used to ask him how she could face Shane eventually if she didn't get justice.
'Well, Lucia O'Farrell, you can face him whenever that day comes because you certainly have brought justice for Shane and certainly exposed the State for what it is.'
Her fight, driven by 'a love from her son that was unmatched and drove her on, was nearing its end.
'I know that Shane would like you to live your life' John said, looking up to Lucia in the gallery. 'So when you go up to visit him this evening, you have something very substantial to report.'
He would want to see her and Jim and the girls catch up on the lost years.
'Live out your life!' he cried.
'And live it out in memory of Shane.'
On Tuesday night, after the excitement of Dáil Éireann, Lucia returned to Monaghan, the cemetery and Shane.
They had a lot to talk about.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Transforming and personalising old furniture: ‘If things go wrong, it can be easily rectified'
In homes across Ireland in 2025, there is an appetite for more personalised eclectic styles where comfort and character mingle with sleek modern design. There's a growing appreciation for vintage and restored furniture – including old counters and cabinets from closed shops used in domestic settings – either bought second hand or revamped after years of neglect. Waterford-based artist and interior designer Marianne Heaphy, aka the Revamp Tramp , is one of the leaders of this band of upcycling enthusiasts. In her workshops she gives people the know-how and confidence to bring new life to tables, chests of drawers, chairs, lampshades and bookcases. At a Saturday workshop in Waterford city, she is explaining her techniques and sharing a range of materials – from paints and primers to wood stains, stencils, gold leaf and wallpaper – with the six participants who have each brought along one piece of furniture to revamp. Mary Kennedy and Olive Hanlon at the workshop Olive Hanlon from Kilmacthomas in Co Waterford has a glossy pine bedside locker, which she wants to spruce up for use in her 16-year-old son Syd's bedroom. She has painted skirting boards, airing cupboards and tables in the past. READ MORE 'I see now how I did things wrong by putting on too much primer, followed by an undercoat and paint. I would have saved myself hours of work if I had come to this workshop first,' she says. Edel Kiely Edel Kiely from Pilltown, Co Kilkenny, is also upcycling a bedside locker for her son, Finn (13). Originally a light pink colour, she repaints it a subtle dark blue. 'I'm very happy with it. It looks expensive,' says Kiely. Kathleen O'Hanlon, from Kilmacow, Co Kilkenny, is here to bring some new life into a green table she bought second hand, which has been sitting on her upstairs landing for years. Although not an expensive piece, it has attractive splayed legs and after a bit of work, it looks much smarter. She has also brought along a plant stand she bought at auction for €5. 'I enjoy painting and seeing how the pieces transform. I did a rocking chair in one of these courses before,' she says. An oval table and a television stand are other pieces she has worked on. [ The rise of repair cafes: 'It's not sustainable to keep buying new stuff' Opens in new window ] Deirdre Clooney has been renovating her 1920s home in Waterford for the last seven years. She's here with a small green chest of drawers which she paints an aubergine colour, in-setting small strips of patterned wallpaper into the front panels of the drawers and on the top of the piece, using a technique called decoupage. 'I've always been interested in upcycling. I've done a mosaic with broken pieces of glass on my garden wall and another mosaic with tiles on the base of my courtyard,' she says, showing pictures of her work. Mary Kennedy Mary Kennedy from Joanstown, Co Waterford, has brought along two vintage foot stools with woven cord seats. The stools, which came from her deceased mother-in-law's home, have sentimental value. 'My husband used to sit on one of these stools for his dinner as a child, so he's very attached to them,' she says. She repaints one to put in her 10-year-old daughter Beatrice's playhouse. The second, which she meticulously sands and rubs beeswax into, will be used as a plant stand in her kitchen. Many of her friends go to antique fairs, seeking out older pieces for their homes. 'People don't appreciate the full modern look any more. We pick out one or two individual statement pieces to mix in with modern furniture,' she says. Noreen Taberlin from Mullinavat in Co Kilkenny has a flat-pack matt grey small table which she transforms with gold paint. She creates a point of interest by pasting on colourful patterned paper to the top surface of the table, using the same material for the front panel of the table's drawer. At the workshop, the mood is jovial and lighthearted – a few women joke about how it gets them away from their husbands for the day. But while there is plenty of banter, there are also moments of quiet industriousness. The restoration workshop Most of Heaphy's workshop participants are women – although when she runs them at the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun, some couples come along together. (Her next Furniture Revamping workshops at the Rediscovery Centre are on June 28th, August 23rd and September 27th and cost €120. See .) The Rediscover Furniture social enterprise at the Rediscovery Centre also runs long-term training programmes in furniture restoration and repair, wood working and contemporary and traditional upholstery. 'The aim of the course is that people will go into full-time employment or set up their own businesses afterwards,' says Nessa Doran O'Reilly, the programme manager. A cabinet maker, Doran O'Reilly studied conservation and restoration of furniture and decorative arts at High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire in England. She also runs public workshops in furniture reupholstery at the Rediscovery Centre (the next one is on August 30th). The Rediscovery Centre also sells second hand furniture in their Second Life shop on Ballymun's Main Street, which is a great place to pick up an old piece to upcycle. But if you're not interested in doing the work yourself, the Ecostore on the first floor of the Rediscovery Centre has some stylish pieces that have already been upcycled. Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Nessa Doran O'Reilly, the furniture programme manager at the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun, at Bloom festival in May. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Alongside the one-off workshops that she runs around the country, Heaphy is project manager for the Loved Back to Life social enterprise in Waterford city. There, she runs back-to-work courses for men and women recovering from addiction at the Aiséirí residential centres. One of her partners in this work is Finline Furniture, a high-end sofa factory that started a take-back scheme for old sofas last year. 'We've always offered a re-covering service but in 2024, we decided to work with a social enterprise to get these returned pieces stripped back to their foam,' says Vanessa O'Rourke. Customers who return a Finline furniture sofa are given a €100 voucher to spend in store. The company, which has retail outlets in Emo in Co Laois, Dublin, Galway and Cork, then takes back the sofas from Aiséirí and reupholsters them in their own factory for sale in their Revive range. 'We use sample or end-of-life rolls of fabric to cut out wastage and keep the costs down, so we can sell these pieces for 20-50 per cent of the equivalent new sofa,' says O'Rourke. 'It's about extending the life of something well made, reducing environmental waste and supporting individuals as they rebuild their lives through skilled work,' says Ciarán Finane, director of Finline Furniture. [ 'My husband's attempts were a disaster': The women DIYing it for themselves Opens in new window ] Back at the Waterford workshop, Heaphy is on hand with advice on everything from spreading a thin coat of primer before painting the surface to looking after paintbrushes (top tip: leave brushes in a jar of water rather than wrapped up in a plastic bag after using water-based paint). 'Stay away from the pound shops and buy decent brands of brushes at your local hardware shop,' she says. Relaxed yet attentive, she has an unflappable manner that accommodates everyone. 'In all my years doing these workshops, I've never had a fail yet,' she says. If things go wrong, it can be easily rectified. 'The main thing to remember is that we're not surgeons here. It's about not taking it too seriously, and enjoying yourself.' Many of the participants talk about the meditative quality of working on their pieces of furniture. 'It's very mindful, says Taberlin. 'You don't think of anything else when you're doing this,' adds Kennedy.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Does Ireland's hospitality sector really need a VAT cut?
Tánaiste Simon Harris may yet come to regret the elevation of a manifesto commitment to cut the rate of VAT charged on hospitality to the level of 'solemn promise' as he did this week at the National Economic Dialogue. Manifesto commitments can be discarded quite easily, especially when part of a coalition. Solemn promises not so much. The already tenuous argument for promoting the needs of the hospitality sector over all the other Budget Day supplicants can only get weaker as the summer unfolds and the twin threats to the global economy of Donald Trump's tariffs and the conflict between Israel and Iran unfold. The idea is strenuously opposed by the Department of Finance which came out against it in the run-up to last year's budget. Officials noted that it represented an 'enormous fiscal transfer of taxpayers' money to the sector which the evidence available at present does not support'. READ MORE Their opposition is unlikely to waver this time around. The central plank of their argument – that employment and prices in the sector are growing strongly despite a number of high-profile restaurant closures – remains robust. The Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of the year was published last month. It showed that the numbers working in accommodation and food services activity – which is seen as the relevant category for hospitality – reached 186,000, up almost 7 per cent on the first quarter of 2024. The most recent inflation figures – for last May – show that restaurant and hotel prices are rising faster than prices in the economy as a whole. They rose by 2.8 per cent over the past 12 months compared with 1.7 per cent for the consumer price index overall. The department will no doubt point to the continuation of the trend of rising employment levels and falling prices in the sector despite the levying of the standard VAT rate when the issue comes up for discussion over the summer But the indications are that their entreaties will fall on deaf ears and the Government will be swayed by industry lobbying rather than hard facts at a cost of €790 million to taxpayers.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
‘I have no rights to him': mothers of children through surrogacy wait in legal limbo
When Sarah Griffin's baby boy Caelan was born last July, he came into the world just two days after President Michael D Higgins signed a first-of-its-kind surrogacy Bill into law. This was important to Griffin, a 35-year-old cervical cancer survivor, whose childhood friend Marie Delahunty had offered to act as a surrogate for Griffin and her partner Jordan Collins. 'It was an embryo we created before my cancer treatment,' Griffin says. 'Genetically, Caelan is mine and Jordan's baby.' But Delahunty's name is still on Caelan's birth certificate, under 'mother'. Almost one year on, that same landmark law still has not come into effect, meaning Griffin and her son Caelan still have no legal relationship with each other. It's understood the legislation may not come into effect until early 2026, due to amendments required to the law. READ MORE 'We were so excited about that new law, but nothing has actually changed,' Griffin said. 'I'm a legal stranger to Caelan, I have no rights to him.' Being a mother of a child born through surrogacy means Griffin does not have the right to leave the State with Caelan on her own. Neither does she have the right to give medical consent for him. She has even lost out on maternity leave and maternity pay. The family, who live in Walkinstown, Dublin, have money set aside for the moment they can finally go to the High Court for an order recognising Griffin as Caelan's mother. But that cannot happen until the law is commenced. Proponents of the law argue that regulating international surrogacy arrangements would be one of the most effective ways of ensuring such arrangements are ethical It has been delayed for two reasons. The first is because the law needs to be amended to make sure that retrospective surrogacy arrangements such as Griffin's can be properly recognised in law. The second reason is that the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority (AHRRA) needs to be set up. The AHRRA will regulate surrogacy and all assisted human reproduction practices such as domestic IVF. The AHRRA is currently in the process of appointing members to its board, and is working to appoint a chief executive. [ Groundbreaking legislation to regulate surrogacy and fertility clinics passed almost 20 years after first mooted Opens in new window ] There had been some reports that the law was being delayed because of concerns from the Department of Justice that it would leave Ireland in breach of a European Union directive on human trafficking. In a statement, the department said it 'does not have concerns about the commencement of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 from an anti-human trafficking perspective'. The statement said it had worked with the Department of Health to ensure the law 'has sufficient safeguards to protect the rights of surrogate mothers, including from the threat of human trafficking'. Some concerns had been raised on human rights grounds about human trafficking linked to international surrogacy. Last year, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) wrote to then minister for health Stephen Donnelly warning that international surrogacy was an area 'marred with increasing human trafficking'. It is understood that some officials in the Department of Health saw the IHREC's intervention as 'unhelpful', believing that the IHREC had not recognised some of the nuances in what the Irish law was trying to do. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the issue raised by IHREC has been 'acknowledged and considered', but the European Commission has never raised a concern about the law. Proponents of the law argue that regulating international surrogacy arrangements so that they would only be recognised for a prescribed 'green list' of countries would be one of the most effective ways of ensuring such arrangements are ethical. Currently, these arrangements are not regulated. Ireland is set to be the first country in the world to attempt to control them. For Irish Families Through Surrogacy, an advocacy and support group, the implied link between international surrogacy and human trafficking has 'been deeply disturbing and distressing for many in our community'. 'The use of such language in the context of ethical surrogacy – where children are brought into the world with love, intent, and utmost respect and care for the surrogate – is both misleading and hurtful,' Sara Byrne, a spokeswoman for the group, said. [ Bill does not address the known dangers and exploitative practices of commercial surrogacy arrangements Opens in new window ] 'It paints an inaccurate and harmful picture that risks alienating our children and families. We are also concerned about the risk of our families being politicised and turned into yet another divisive issue in public discourse.' Mary Seery Kearney, a former Fine Gael senator and a former member of the Special Joint Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy – the committee which led to the current law – points out that further delays with it will have a 'very human' consequence. Ms Seery Kearney suffered five miscarriages and endured 13 rounds of IVF before her daughter Scarlett was born via surrogacy in 2015. Scarlett is now 10 years old. 'By the time I get into the High Court, she's easily going to be 11,' Ms Seery Kearney said. 'I'm her mother for life, no matter what, but I would like, some time, to be recognised by the State as her mother before she turns 18.' Former Fine Gael senator Mary Seery Kearney suffered five miscarriages and endured 13 rounds of IVF before her daughter Scarlett was born via surrogacy in 2015. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins The Department of Health said that while 'significant' progress has been made on the law, 'it is not possible to give a definitive timeline for the commencement of the AHR legislation'.
