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Gardaí believes that a woman and her eldest son were deliberately lured to an isolated Cork farm by a double suicide that had been carefully planned by her husband and youngest son.
Anne O’Sullivan (60) saw her eldest son Mark (25) ambushed in her room and shot by her father Tadg (59) and younger brother Diarmuid (23).
It happened at the family farm in Assolas, on the outskirts of Kanturk, north of Cork, on October 26.
The Garda’s investigations have now led them to believe that Anne and Mark were deliberately lured to the farm for an attack that had been carefully premeditated over the previous days due to a growing dispute over a 2 million euro family will.
An examination of the extensive documentation found on the farm has supported this theory. – with detectives awaiting the results of forensic forensic tests and a ballistic examination of the firearms used, two .22 hunting rifles.
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Diarmuid O’Sullivan. Photo: Family Brochure / PA Wire
A shotgun recovered from the property had not been unloaded.
Anne, a nurse and mother of two, has been battling ill health as of late and traveled to Dublin for a medical procedure in mid-October.
Her eldest son accompanied her.
Due to the dispute over the € 2 million will, the mother and son did not stay at Assolas’ farm upon their return from Dublin.
Instead, they stayed with friends in the Kanturk area.
However, both decided to return to the farmhouse on October 25.
This decision was motivated by the receipt of a letter on behalf of Tadg O’Sullivan which offered the prospect of reaching a friendly settlement within the family.
However, a neighbor was so concerned that they contacted the mother and eldest son that night to check that everything was okay.
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Tadg O’Sullivan. Photo: Family Brochure / PA Wire
That night Anne O’Sullivan was awakened by the sound of gunfire and ran to investigate.
Her youngest son had already left the house and her husband took her mobile phone and destroyed it in front of her.
He then confronted her about the disputed will.
Later he ran almost a kilometer to raise the alarm.
Both Tadg and Diarmuid walked 600 meters to an area next to a fairy ring known as “The Fort” and killed themselves with their rifles.
Ms. O’Sullivan has been staying with relatives since the shocking events and sources say she has not returned to the family home.
Questions remain as to who will take over the farm where he once lived.
“Little by little he has begun to accept what happened,” said a source.
“He has not set foot near the farm or house since and has no intention of doing so.”
Diarmuid and Tadg were buried together at Castlemagner while a separate funeral was held for Mark at Kanturk. Later he was buried in a plot belonging to his mother’s family.
The mourners were led by Mrs. O’Sullivan, a highly respected nurse who comes from a family of landowners.
Mark’s best friend, Sharmilla Rahman, hailed the trainee lawyer at a funeral tribute as “the greatest child a mother could have.”
His tribute was read at Mark’s requiem mass by his cousin, Barry Sherlock.
“Mark and I were best friends… Mark was the best son a mother could have. I know that the bond between them was unbreakable, ”he wrote.
“Mark had such a big heart and so much love to give. I can’t imagine how much effort and love he put into being Anne’s son. “
Detectives have also studied letters and notes.
Tadg and Diarmuid deliberately did not target Anne – and left a detailed personal note, found by Diarmuid’s body, which was marked for his attention.
This note blamed the tragedy on the will, and further stated that the advice that locals are believed to have given about not dividing the farm was also a feature of the tragedy.
Interestingly, he also instructed Anne O’Sullivan to take care of the family pets.
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Mark O’Sullivan. Photo: Family Brochure / PA Wire
A letter written by Mark and retrieved from the farm underscored his fears that the dispute over the farm threatened to divide the family.
He also expressed his private concerns about how upset his father and younger brother were about the dispute and the possible consequences that could arise.
The long note found by Diarmuid’s body is believed to have been written several hours before the triple shooting indicating that the attack was entirely premeditated.
Items in the note, which is a dozen pages long, were described as “very annoying” by one source and indicated that Diarmuid may have been heavily influenced by his father.
The disagreement over the farm’s inheritance dates back almost eight months with legal correspondence regarding the dispute discovered at the farm.
The family feud escalated when details emerged of a proposed will favoring Mark with the farm inheritance.
It is understood that Diarmuid felt effectively left out. He was deeply upset by the proposed terms of the will.
Apparently, Tadg was very upset about the treatment of his youngest son and that he had not reached a compromise on the inheritance.
While gardaí is treating the matter as a criminal investigation, he is not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
A file will be prepared for the North Cork Coroner with an investigation to be conducted next year.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please contact the Samaritans Helpline 116123 or the Aware Helpline 1800 80 48 48 or Pieta House at 1800 247 247.
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