Missing woman was last seen in Laytown
AFTER a full house and ovation in The National Library, Dublin recently, the composer Michael Holohan brings his very personal composition ‘Gallipoli, The GPO and Flanders’ back to Meath on Sunday 18th November at 8pm in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland, Trim.
This music theatre piece features the diaries of Michael’s granduncle Seosamh de Brún, who fought with Thomas MacDonagh in 1916 and a British soldier who organised the firing squad for MacDonagh’s execution.
Seosamh’s father James was born in Ballivor, Co Meath. Also featured are the war letters of his two granduncles Thomas and Frank Holohan who were born in Johnswell, Co Kilkenny. The piece will also be performed on Thursday November 15th in the new Medieval Mile Museum in Kilkenny. The renowned actors Barry McGovern and Donal O’ Kelly will read the letters and diaries and they will be accompanied by the fabulous RTE Contempo String Quartet.
Admission to the above event is free and sponsored by The Minister for Culture, Heritage and The Gaeltacht (The Decade of Centenaries) , Kilkenny Co. Council and Creative Ireland.
Michael’s piano pieces ‘By a River ’ and ‘Byrd in Blue’ have recently been published by The Royal Irish Academy of Music and are now on their National Piano Examination Syllabus for Grade 5 and 7 . The composer is delighted that thousands of music students will have the opportunity to choose and play his piece about the River Boyne in their forthcoming piano examinations.
Siobhan Seberry and the wonderful Sonata Singers from Drogheda performed Michael’s piece ‘In The Empty Hills’ in the Female voices competition at the recent Derry International Choral Festival. His other choral pieces ‘Bagairt Na Marbh’ and ‘Anahorish’ were performed by Laetare from Dublin and The Allegri Singers Derry.
Hannah O’Brien, the Drogheda soprano, performed Michael’s settings of Francis Ledwidge ‘ The Hills’ and ‘A Soldier’s Grave’ on Saturday the 3 November at the Drogheda War Memorial and in the D Hotel, as part of Mayor Godfrey and the Louth County Council’s Remembrance Ceremony of The Centenary of the Armistice 1918-2018.
The new CD , The Road to Lough Swilly and Memorials by Michael will be officially launched on Wednesday 28th November at 8 pm in the Augustinian Church. Performers will include Mick O’ Brien, the acclaimed uilleann piper; Donal O’ Kelly actor and the vibrant Boyne Chamber Orchestra. Music from the CD was performed in St Peter’s Church of Ireland and St Peter’s Catholic Church to great acclaim during the recent Drogheda Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann. Admission to the concert and launch is free and there will be a special launch price of €10 euro on the night. GARDAÍ investigating the disappearance of Giedre Raguckaite, who is now believed to have been murdered, have appealed to anyone who has information about the 29 year old Lithuanian to come forward.
They are particularly anxious to find out where she was living after she left the house at 37 College Heights, Dundalk where she had been living until May 23.
Gierdre came to Ireland from the UK in April and lived in the Dundalk area from April to May.
She ‘may have been in a vulnerable position,’ Supt Gerry Curley told a press conference in Dundalk Garda Station last Tuesday.
He said she had come to Ireland looking for work and her last known address was 37 College Heights, which she left on May 23. Gardai have not established where she resided after that.
She was reported missing to Dundalk gardai on August 22 by a Lithuanian national residing in Dundalk on behalf of her family and a missing person investigation commenced under the supervision of Detective Inspector Martin Beggy from the incident room in Dundalk.
Garda inquiries revealed that Gierdre last spoke with her father, a 58 year old widower, on May 29 at 6.35pm, and that was the last contact she had with her family.
She was last seen at a house in Beach Grove Laytown area with two men on 29th May 2018 at 11pm.
Gardai are concerned at the condition she was in when she was taken into the house and they believe she was unconscious.
‘Giedre was not seen leaving the house but we are satisfied that she left the house and the other two males left the house in the early hours of May 30, 2018. She has not been seen since,’ said Supt Curley.
A technical examination of that house was carried out last Tuesday.
He said that they had serious concerns about what had happened to her and believe that her disappearance was involuntary. They are satisfied that she knew the two men she was with in the house.
Gardaí have established that Giedre’s phone has not been in use since the morning of May 30th nor has there has been any activity on Giedre’s social media accounts or contact with any family or friends. She had a regular pattern of contact with family, friends and acquaintances prior to May 29 but there had been no contact from her since then. She also had no visible means of support.
Gardaí have carried out over 170 lines of enquiry, including liaising with the PSNI, UK Police Forces, Interpol, the Lithuanian Police Force and the Lithuanian Embassy. As a result of those enquiries, it was decided on the October 31 to re-categorise this investigation as a homicide investigation.
Supt Curley said gardai are seeking assistance from the public and especially the Lithuanian Community. They are anxious to talk to anyone who gave her accommodation after May 23 or who may have seen her on or after May 29, or any person who has information about her disappearance.
Giedre is described as 1.67 Meters in height, thin build, 8/9 stone, shoulder length blonde hair, green eyes and was last seen wearing pink Tee-shirt and dark blue jeans.
Anyone with any informatin should contact Dundalk Garda station on 042 9388400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.