Family of Liam Farrell renews appeal for information on sixth anniversary of his death

The family of elderly Roosky farmer Liam Farrell, who was found dead in suspicious circumstances at his home in January 2020, has renewed its public appeal for information on the sixth anniversary of his death.

The late Mr Farrell’s Anniversary Mass takes place at St. Michael's Church in Bornacoola this morning, Sunday, at 11 a.m..

The family of the 87-year-old widower strongly believe their father was the subject of an assault before he suffered a heart attack.

An inquest into his death heard how he was discovered by family members at the back door of his home on Sunday, January 12th, 2020. He was covered in blood with his shoes and socks removed, his watch broken and bruising to his left eye and his feet. The jury recorded an open verdict into his death.

Following a sustained campaign by his family to seek answers, the new Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly announced last October that a Serious Crime Review Team (SCRT) would be carrying out a review of the investigation into their father’s death.

Now on his sixth anniversary, the Farrell family is renewing their appeal for information and thanked everyone who has supported their campaign.

“This time of year is tough enough on the family but we are very thankful that the new Garda Commissioner Mr Justin Kelly has appointed a serious crime cold case unit who began their work on what happened to our father,” outlined one of his sons, Willie Farrell.

“We are very thankful to have such an experienced SCRT team working on our father’s case. We believe that the resources and the expertise that this serious crime unit has, will further that investigation to a level not seen before.

“We are also very thankful to the media for their amazing work in highlighting the issues surrounding our late father’s death, and the support from the people of Roosky and across Ireland has been far above our expectations. We’re very thankful for their kind words,” he said.

Mr Farrell said he and his family were appealing to anybody who may have “information about anything that happened" on the weekend of their father's death to report it to the serious crime cold case team.

“All we are trying to do is to find out what happened that night,” he said.

Anyone who may have any information can contact the Serious Crime Review Team by email: nbci.scrt@garda.ie or by ringing the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.