Man guilty of murdering 61-year-old in Cork home

Daniel Hourigan, 33, has been found guilty of the murder of 61-year-old Michael Foley, who was discovered dead in his Macroom home in County Cork. The jury at the Central Criminal Court in Cork delivered a unanimous guilty verdict after deliberating for over 10 hours. Mr. Foley was found to have suffered 11 stab wounds and 19 slash wounds.

Mr. Foley was found by a care worker, Ciara Harmon, on February 6, 2024, after he missed a medical appointment and failed to answer calls. Ms. Harmon discovered him in a pool of blood in his kitchen. Hourigan, who had stayed with Mr. Foley, a relative through marriage, for six weeks in 2023 when he was homeless, testified that he and his then-partner, Linda O'Flynn, stayed overnight at the victim's home on January 31, 2024.

Hourigan claimed he woke to a disturbance and found Mr. Foley on the floor. He stated that Ms. O'Flynn was "freaking out" and refused to call emergency services. He insisted he had "no part or role in Michael's murder," attributing the act to Ms. O'Flynn and claiming he provided differing accounts to gardaí to protect her. He also mentioned asking Mr. Foley to be the godfather of his unborn child, though he later stated Ms. O'Flynn was not pregnant at the time.

During cross-examination, prosecution counsel Jane Hyland SC presented evidence that Hourigan had given multiple, differing accounts of the events to gardaí. Hourigan maintained these variations were to protect Ms. O'Flynn. When questioned why he didn't call an ambulance for Mr. Foley, whom he considered like an uncle, Hourigan stated Ms. O'Flynn had the phone. The prosecution argued that the severe wounds inflicted on Mr. Foley indicated the attacker possessed significant strength, a point Hourigan denied in relation to himself. Ms. Hyland concluded her closing speech by asserting Hourigan lied to gardaí to protect himself, not Ms. O'Flynn.