‘An honest and gentle giant who will never be forgotten’
Those who knew him recall a man of principle who died protecting his community, writes Eavan Murray
YEARS have passed, but the horror of that dark January night still burns in the hearts of those who knew Adrian Donohoe. He is remembered as a man of principle, good humour and kindness.
A man dedicated to his family, his community and An Garda Síochána.
His loss to those who knew and loved him is immeasurable.
With Aaron Brady finally brought to justice for his callous, brutal and inexplicable crime, there has been a break in the clouds for Donohoe’s community.
“The pain is a little bit less today. For the first time people have a little bit of closure – it’s justice,” said Alan Duffy, a friend of Mr Donohoe’s. Mr Duffy is the former chairman of St Patrick’s GFC, and he remembers with a smile the image of Adrian, standing at 6ft 4in, “with a gang of six-year-olds, boys and girls, running around him”.
“He was a gentle giant, a lovely person, very confident, honest, reliable and hard-working,” Mr Duffy said. “And he died protecting people in this community.
“You couldn’t realise the measure of the man, and he was so important to everybody in the area. His murder left a huge void.
“It’s fantastic for the guards to get this for Adrian.
“It sends out a message to people that they just can’t do what they want and get away with it. It shows that evil acts won’t go unpunished.”
“There are consequences, and the consequence here is 40 years in jail,” he added.
Adrian Donohoe grew up in the tiny village of Kilnaleck, Co Cavan.
The son of Hugh and Peggy Donohoe, he spent his childhood on a small farm outside the village alongside his five siblings: Alan, Colm, Martin, Anne and Mary.
He was a gifted footballer and represented Cavan at under-21 level.
In 1994 he decided to join the gardaí, and two of his brothers followed him later.
It was in Templemore that Adrian met his wife, Caroline; they were in the same class. Eight years later they were married in Caroline’s native Co Clare.
Speaking shortly after his death, Caroline Donohoe explained what he meant to her and their children.
“Adrian was the best father that any child could have,” she said.
“There was nobody like Adrian and Adrian was the love of my life. I will miss him every minute of every day as long as I live.
“I met Adrian in 1994 when I went to join the guards, and we both went to Templemore that day. From the first day we met, we clicked. We had two beautiful children, Amy and Niall. There is nothing Adrian wouldn’t have done for us; he was just the best in the whole world.”
After graduation, both Adrian and Caroline were assigned to work in Dundalk garda station, and they settled on the Cooley Peninsula.
Memories of Adrian Donohoe are etched in the fabric of the community, and to this day his photo and jersey hang proudly inside the front door of St Patrick’s Gaelic football club.
An archway outside the pitch bears his name, as does the stone plaque at the entrance to the credit union, just yards from the spot where he died protecting people.
At his funeral, Garda Donohoe was remembered as a loyal, honest, virtuous and faithful man who laid down his life for his community.
Fr Michael Cusack recalled “a loving family man who gave himself to his wife and two young children, his job, the GAA and the community he lived in”.
Fr Cusack said he often wondered “can there ever be justice for somebody who loses someone so dear?
“There is no replacement; there is no prison sentence or punishment that fits somebody coming out and taking a young father, a husband, a son, a brother, away from his family.”
Lead investigator and retired Detective Inspector Pat Marry described Adrian as “everything you could want in a detective”.
“I am extremely happy we have got justice for Adrian, and I am grateful to the jury. It was difficult for them, but they made the right decision.
“I met Adrian every day, he was one of my detectives and he was an absolute gentleman.
“He was brilliant at any task you would set him. He would have it back on your desk on time and done perfectly.
“I had big time for him. He was lovely, a giant of a guy and he carried himself in a relaxed and calm way.
“He did not deserve to die how he did. It is tremendous the person who did it has been convicted.
“He lived for his family and his community, and he worked so hard with underage kids in the football trying to get them on the right path.
“He was a model citizen.” “To get the person who did this to Adrian was a mammoth job.
“Adrian Donohoe deserved nothing less than us giving 100pc to bring about justice for him, for Caroline, and the children.
“I hope Caroline can take solace from the conviction and a degree of comfort from the fact that the person who killed her husband is now serving time in jail.
“The day I charged him (Aaron Brady) was the day I put in my retirement pages.
“It was a promise I made myself, and that’s what I did. I had a great team, and we were all determined and committed to getting everything right.
“The respect we all had for him drove us on because had it been one of us who had been killed, Adrian would have been the first for us,” he said.
Garda Donohoe’s headstone is inscribed with the words: “Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day.”