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One of the young men at the center of an apparent murder-suicide tragedy that claimed the lives of three members of the same family in North Cork on Monday was due to graduate with an accounting degree next week, it was reported.
Diarmuid O’Sullivan, 23, of Assolas, near Kanturk, had completed his studies at the Cork Institute of Technology in June and was due to receive a first-class honors degree in accounting next week, the institute confirmed.
CIT’s Director of Student Affairs Dr. Dan Collins said the CIT community was in shock when the tragic deaths of O’Sullivan and his brother, Mark, and their father, Tadhg, became known.
“There are no words that anyone can say to express how people feel. This tragedy is heartbreaking and we extend our thoughts and condolences to his mother, Anne. We also keep in our thoughts and prayers, his brother Mark and his father Tadgh.
“At this time we are aware of his friends, classmates, and the Accounting and Information Systems Department staff, as well as extended family and neighbors,” Dr. Collins said in a statement released by CIT.
Dr. Collins said that CIT staff, where Mr. O’Sullivan took the four-year course, described him as “a young man of promise, who was a hard worker, respected and highly respected by staff and employees. students”.
The commotion Dr. Collins spoke of at CIT was echoed in North Cork, where Lombardstown’s Fine Gael Cllr local John Paul O’Shea said that people in Castlemagner and nearby Kanturk were trying to come to terms with the enormity. of the tragedy.
“There is a total sense of disbelief. The exact details of the case need to be confirmed, but it is obviously a tight-knit community in Castlemagner, so the confirmation that three people had passed away is very tragic and has been greeted with a real sense of grief and loss in the area.
“The news is spreading on different social media platforms, so Castlemagner and Kanturk people around the world are learning about it, so it will be very difficult for people to accept, but I have no doubt that the people of Castlemagner will come together and support the family. “
Gardaí says they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the three deaths, but confirmed that they hope the results of Tuesday’s autopsies by deputy state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster of Cork University Hospital will help clarify what happened.
The body of Mark O’Sullivan (26), a lawyer trainee, was found with gunshot wounds in an upstairs room of the family farmhouse, while the bodies of his brother, Diarmuid, and his father, Tadhg (59 ) were found together with two rifles in a field. some distance from the house.
Gardaí described the incident as a terrible tragedy. Last night, relatives were comforting Mr. O’Sullivan’s widow, Anne (60), who had just left the hospital after surgery.
Gardaí says they are keeping an open mind about what caused the tragedy, but say they are investigating whether the shootings may have been related to a dispute over a will that may have caused their youngest son, Diarmuid, to miss a part of the 150 acre family farm. .
Reports suggested that Diarmuid was aggrieved by this and became angry and threatened to harm himself.
The tragedy began Monday morning when Tadhg and Diarmuid entered Mark’s room in the house sometime after 6.30 a.m. and was shot by one or both of them.
Ms. O’Sullivan fled the house and went with a neighbor to raise the alarm, telling them that her husband and son had shot their other son.
The neighbor contacted Gardaí who rushed to the scene.
Locals told Gardaí that they had heard more gunfire around 7.25am, so officers established a cordon, as they knew the family had three licensed firearms, two rifles, and a shotgun and were unsure of if they were facing a siege or a possible hostage situation.
The Gardaí declared the matter a critical firearms incident and a senior officer from the Cork City Division was appointed as commander at the scene when the Gardaí requested a backup and armed members of the Cork Emergency Response Unit deployed and took positions around the farm.
Meanwhile, a trained negotiator attached to the North Cork Division tried to make contact with anyone in the house during the morning to no avail, as the gardaí kept his position on the cordon in case someone in the house was armed.
Following the discovery of the three bodies, the assistant state pathologist, Dr. Margot Bolster conducted a preliminary examination of the three bodies at the farm.
The Gardaí also requested the services of the Garda Technical Office from Dublin and ballistics experts traveled to Kanturk to conduct examinations of the two rifles found alongside Tadhg and Diarmuid O’Sullivan to see if one or both weapons were used to shoot Mark O ‘Sullivan.
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