Questions still to be answered into the death of Shane O’Farrell – Smyth

Last year marked 10 years since Mr O’Farrell was killed by a hit-and-run driver as he cycled near his home in Co Monaghan.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been urged to grant the family of the late Shane O'Farrell a public enquiry so that they might learn the full extent of the circumstances which led to the young man's death.

Last year marked 10 years since Mr O’Farrell was killed by a hit-and-run driver as he cycled near his home in Co Monaghan. The 23-year-old law graduate died at the scene.

On the day he was driving the car, Gridziuska, should have been in State custody. He never served time for the hit-and-run incident that killed Mr O’Farrell, and was ultimately jailed for other offences.

In 2013 was deported and banned from re-entering Ireland until the following year.

In 2017, current Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, expressed that the O'Farrell case revealed levels of "shocking malpractice and dysfunction in the criminal justice system at all levels".

Now Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan-Monaghan & North Meath, Niamh Smyth, has once again raised the matter of Mr O'Farrell's death of Shane O'Farrell with An Taoiseach.

Speaking in the Dáil yesterday (Tuesday, May 17), Deputy Smyth said: "I implore the Taoiseach to give the O'Farrell family the opportunity to know the truth about the circumstances of Shane's death and grant them the public inquiry for which both House of the Oireachtas voted. Justice delayed is justice denied and this family has suffered enough.''

In his response, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: "It is a very harrowing case and a very sad situation. I hope that the scoping inquiry will be brought to completion very quickly because it has been ongoing for nearly three years at this stage. Covid and so forth has not helped but that said, the family have made detailed submissions.

"The family have presented to me on the many issues they are concerned about with regard to the scoping inquiry. Before any decision is taken, I believe the Government and everybody will need to see the scoping inquiry report published. That will not, in itself, prejudice the decision of the Government around the initiation of a public inquiry but it is important that we would bring that to a conclusion.

"A lot of pain and anguish has been felt by the O'Farrell family in respect of the tragic death of Shane. Once the Minister gets the report, the Attorney General will give advice and will publish the report and any other issues that arise from that advice. Hopefully, we can bring the scoping part of it to a conclusion very quickly."