Inquest adjourns briefly as pathologist due to give evidence

The inquest into the deaths of the Hawe family has heard how the bloodied “palm print” of husband and father Alan Hawe was discovered on a weapon and a handwritten note found at their Castlerahan home.

Clodagh Hawe (nee Coll) and her three children Liam (14), Niall (11), and six-year-old Ryan were found dead in their home in August 29, 2016.

Her body was found lying face down on a sofa in the living room.

The bodies of Liam and Niall were found in one room upstairs, with that of Ryan found in an adjacent room.

In the bedroom shared by Mr Hawe and Clodagh, jewellery boxes were found “neatly stacked” on the bed.

The body of husband and father Mr Hawe was also found at the family’s home at Barcony in Castlerahan. His body was discovered in the hallway.

At the opening of the inquest at Cavan Courthouse, County Coroner Dr Mary Flanagan commented that this was a “particularly emotive” inquest. The hearing is expected to run for at least two days, hearing evidence from at least 12 individual witnesses.

The first witness is mother of Clodagh, Mary Coll.

She told the inquest that after raising the alarm and contacting gardai having found a note pinned to the inside of the backdoor saying “Don’t come in, call the gardai”, that she felt something “terrible” had happened. “It was his writing and I knew he had done something terrible,” she told Dr Flanagan.

The dispositions of of local Gda Alan Radcliffe and Gda Aisling Walsh, the first persons to enter the property were also read into evidence.

Members of the Garda Technical Bureau, including ballistic and handwriting experts was also heard.

Mr Hawe was the vice-principal of Castlerahan National School and the family were heavily involved in the local community.

Clodagh was originally from the nearby village of Mount Nugent and taught at Oristown National School near Kells in Co Meath.

The body of Mr Hawe, originally from Kilkenny, was earlier this year exhumed from the family grave at St Mary’s Church in Castlerahan to be cremated.

The inquest has adjourned briefly awaiting the arrival of the next witness Dr Michael Curtis, pathologist.

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