Why was killer laid to rest with family?

Letter reveals Hawe’s request to be cremated and buried at sea

Did not wish to be buried as a Catholic

THERE were growing questions last night as to why Alan Hawe was buried with the family he killed when he had requested to be cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.

Hawe was laid to rest alongside his wife Clodagh and the three sons he killed before taking his own life, despite expressing a wish not to be buried with his family or as a Catholic.

A note apparently written by the deputy school principal after he killed his family stated that he did not want this to happen.

The killer’s remains were exhumed from the family grave nine months after he was buried alongside his victims in Castlerahan, Co. Cavan, in 2016.

His remains were cremated after being exhumed at the request of Clodagh’s family, but it is not known where his ashes were scattered.

The Irish Daily Star reported that the note, found at the family home after he had killed Clodagh, and their three sons – Liam, 13, Niall, 11, and six-year-old Ryan – said: ‘Please cremate me and dump me in the sea.

‘Do not bury me with the family or as a Catholic,’.

Yesterday, the Irish Daily Mail was unable to contact parish priest Fr Felim Kelly, who was the chief celebrant at the funeral, to try to unravel why killer Hawe was given a Catholic funeral and buried with the family he murdered despite his final request.

Thousands gathered in September 2016 for the funeral, with the five members of the Hawe family being taken to the church in separate hearses.

Speaking to the congregation at the time, Fr Kelly asked how ‘so much goodness could be destroyed’. He added: ‘How could such happiness could be invaded? How? Why? It is not for us to seek answers or to surmise about behaviour. We all are trying to cope with a tragedy beyond our understanding.

‘Clodagh, Alan, Liam, Niall and Ryan are at peace.’

Clodagh’s family sought to have her husband’s remains removed from the grave a short time after their funerals, it has been reported.

However, responsibility for making the decision to exhume his body lay with his next of kin.

Hawe’s remains were exhumed from the family grave in May of this year.

His body was taken to Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin where it was cremated before his ashes were taken to his family home in Kilkenny. It is not known whether his ashes were scattered at sea as he had requested.

Alan Hawe’s family released a statement at the time saying they had not been involved in the decision in September 2016 as to where Alan would be buried.

The statement read: ‘This morning the exhumation of Alan Hawe took place on foot of a licence granted by Cavan County Council. The Hawe family had been requested by the Coll family to make that application.

‘The Hawes agreed. The Hawe family had not previously been involved in the decision as to where Alan was buried.’

The statement added: ‘Over the last number of months the parents of Alan Hawe have received threats from persons unknown which have added to the devastating losses that they have suffered of their son, grandchildren and daughter-in-law.’