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O’Sullivan Farm in Kanturk was just emerging from darkness Monday morning when Anne O’Sullivan ran for the door.
He couldn’t open it, neighbors say, and as he frantically ran to find another way out, a scene of devastation was unfolding inside his family’s home.
His eldest son, Mark, had been shot in his room. Soon after, her second son Diarmuid and her husband Tadg were also dead.
Though weak from a prolonged illness, Ms. O’Sullivan managed to run three-quarters of a mile through fields leading to a neighboring farm, where her cries and pleas for help sounded the alarm about a tragedy like no other.
“It took (Anne) almost 40 minutes to get from her house to the next farm,” said a neighbor. “I was in my nightwear, barefoot.”
Ms O’Sullivan (60), a nurse at Mount Alvernia in Mallow, had been to the hospital in Dublin last week for treatment and was accompanied to the capital by her eldest son, Mark.
It is understood that they stayed with the neighbors for a few days upon their return to Castlemagner, but decided to return to the family home on Sunday. The simmering tensions over Ms. O’Sullivan’s will (the farmland belonged to her through her father) had caused trouble within the family, but she was eager to return home.
The exact details of what happened once she returned are unclear, but it is believed that the issue of inheritance was still on Diarmuid and Tadg’s mind when the family was reunited under the same roof for the last time. A close friend of Ms. O’Sullivan, aware of what was going on behind the scenes, sent a text message to make sure everything was okay. The answer indicated yes.
After going to bed that night, Ms. O’Sullivan woke up startled by the sound of gunfire. In a panic, he grabbed his cell phone but couldn’t locate it.
While fleeing the house, Mark had been shot seven times. It is not yet clear who fired the shots, or if both his father and brother, who later shot themselves, were responsible.
When he reached safety, his entire family had been wiped out.
“I may never go back there,” said the neighbor. “It is a scene of sheer devastation.”
Yesterday, as the Gardaí continued to try to piece together the events that led to the alleged murder and double suicide, the O’Sullivan family estate was still blocked from visitors. A single bouquet of flowers, left as a mark of respect, lay next to a tree. Shortly after lunch, neighbors from the surrounding farms arrived with more flowers.
Several days after the horror scenes at O’Sullivan Farm, locals remained in shock at the scale of devastation within a single family.
In the nearby village of Castlemagner, and further afield in Kanturk, preparations were being made for the funerals of the three men.
Ms. O’Sullivan, described in the death notices as Mr. O’Sullivan’s “heartbroken wife” and Mark and Diarmuid’s “heartbroken mother”, was being comforted by the family.
“We will do our best to show our support for Anne over the next few days,” said a local from Castelmagner.
“The funerals here for Diarmuid and Tadg are private and Covid-19 means we can’t do much, but the plan is to pay our respects by standing in line in town. Everyone is heartbroken for Anne for how everything has been left now and this part will be difficult. “
An only child, Ms. O’Sullivan (nee Cronin) comes from a well-connected family, several of whom have businesses in Kanturk. Described as quiet and unassuming, she had lived her entire life on the farm which she later shared with her husband and children. The land had been in the Cronin family for generations and Ms. O’Sullivan is said to have been interested that it not be sold and instead remained within blood ties.
The local pastor, Father John Magner, who visited Ms. O’Sullivan immediately after the tragedy, said the focus was now on supporting her for the next few days. “The thoughts of the entire community are with her,” she said.
“It is an indescribable tragedy for which there are no words. I spoke to her at the scene. You try to offer comfort, that’s all you can do. “
On the local parish Facebook page, Canon Tony Bluitt said that the people of Kanturk and Castlemagner parishes expressed their deepest condolences to Ms. O’Sullivan “on the tragic loss of her husband Tadg and their children, Mark and Diarmuid “.
“We are all shocked and stunned by this heartbreaking news. We pray the Lord’s comfort for Anne and her family and we pray God’s mercy for Tadg, Diarmuid and Mark. Rest in peace.”
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