Lynch family to discuss the 'Kelly Protocol' on Prime Time

AT the same time as Kelly Lynch’s family continue their campaign to have her death treated as suspicious, they are also lobbying government to introduce the ‘Kelly Protocol’, while working to keep her name and tragic death in the public domain.

To this end, Kelly’s case was discussed on RTÉ Radio 1’s Drive Time last week and will feature on RTÉ Television’s Prime Time next week.

Also in the past weeks, Kelly Lynch’s case has been raised by Cavan-Monaghan Senator Sarah O’Reily (Aontú) in the Seanad and in the Dáil by Cavan-Monaghan TD Matt Carthy (SF).

Kelly Lynch from Armagh was just 23-years-old when her body was discovered at the Ulster Canal in Monaghan on St Patrick’s Day 2024. She was last seen about 30 hours earlier during a night out with friends in Monaghan Town.

A postmortem carried out immediately after her death found that Kelly died from drowning, while a second autopsy reported the cause of death as hypothermia.

Kelly’s family have always questioned the initial garda investigation into her death and expressed concerns about the preservation of the scene and the securing of CCTV footage of the area.

The Katie Trust charity arranged a privately-funded forensic report to be carried out, which found Kelly died following a “physical violent assault”.

The third pathologist found Kelly suffered 93 injuries including two inflicted after death.

Peer review

The Garda Commissioner in 2024, Drew Harris, ordered a peer review into the initial garda investigation into Kelly’s death, which is still ongoing at this time.

The Katie Trust was set up by retired PSNI detective James Branigan in memory of murdered Katie Simpson from the North to 'help families who

have lost a loved one in circumstances initially classified as suicide, accident, or disappearance but where concerns and unanswered questions later emerge'.

The protocol is a proposed framework reform calling for how sudden or unexplained deaths are investigated across Ireland and it addresses the cross-border element of future investigations.

“At its core, it demands that every unnatural death is treated as potentially suspicious from the outset, rather than being classified as accidental or non-suspicious,” Kelly’s mother, Julieanne, told the Celt.

The Kelly Protocol advocates for immediate preservation of all evidence and independent forensic oversight alongside state investigations.

It also calls for full transparency and timely communication with families, equal treatment and support for families, including cross-border cases, and accountability where investigation failures or oversights occur.

“The Protocol is grounded in the belief that no family should have to fight for a thorough investigation,” Julieanne said, “and that truth, dignity and justice must be built into the system from the very beginning.”

Deputy Matt Carthy told the Celt he is working with the Lynch Family on their journey to making the Protocol legislation because “there is a lot of merit in what the Lynch family are trying to do in providing a template for gardaí in how they treat other deaths that do not occur naturally.

“The protocol would give a lot more assurances to families in the future that all avenues are explored and every circumstance is considered,” the local TD said.

Next week, Kelly’s parents, Julieanne and Sean Lynch, will be joined by James Branigan from the Katie Trust on Prime Time from 9:35pm on RTÉ 1 on Thursday, April 16.