‘Nothing will ever make up for Adrian’s murder. We would give anything to have him back’
THE first conviction as part of the Adrian Donohoe murder investigation has brought some closure for the detective’s loved ones but will never make up for their loss, his close friend has said.
Garda Inspector Darren Kirwan, speaking to the Irish Independent ahead of today’s eight-year anniversary of his colleague’s murder, also said that the conviction of gunman Aaron Brady has reinvigorated the investigation.
“It made Christmas a little easier but it doesn’t make up for Adrian not being here. Nothing will ever make up for that and we’d give anything to have him back,” he said.
“But the conviction definitely helped. For the people who worked with him especially you could see the lift in their faces when the conviction came in.
“It also meant an awful lot for the local community where he was held in very high esteem as well.”
The two gardaí became good friends while stationed together in Dundalk, having attested from the Garda college six months just apart in the mid-1990s, before joining the same local GAA club. Detective Garda
Adrian Donohoe (41) was described by his close friend as an “all-rounder” who was devoted to his family, his work and his community in Lordship, Co Louth, where he was held in the highest regard.
“He was a great community man, a great family man and a great detective. A real all-rounder. He always had a happy attitude and was very outgoing,” said Insp Kirwan.
“Adrian went to Dundalk Garda station in September ’95 after coming out of Templemore, I went to Dundalk in March ’96 after leaving the college and was on Adrian’s unit.
“That’s how we became friends, we both also had an interest in GAA and joined the same club.
“Myself and Adrian started at St Patrick’s GAA club in 1997… his club Crosserlough was an hour and a half away and my club Ballivor was much the same. It meant we had to look for a club and we ended up at Pat’s.”
Originally from Kilnaleck in Cavan, Det-Gda Donohoe later lived in Lordship with his wife Caroline and their two children. By 2013 he was a 17-year veteran of the force when he became the 87th member of An Garda Síochána to die in the line of duty.
Shortly before 9.30pm, on the evening of January 25 that year, he was on an armed cash escort at Lordship credit union when he was ambushed by a five-man gang and, without warning, was shot dead.
Last October, Armagh man Aaron Brady (29) was sentenced to a minimum term of 40 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of robbery and the capital murder of DetGda Donohoe.
The jury had earlier found that he was the masked raider who fired the fatal shot that killed Det-Gda Donohoe that night.
Insp Kirwan said the Garda investigation is still very much alive and has been given renewed energy following the prosecution of Brady.
“There’s no doubt about it that it’s some closure, not that the investigation is in anyway finished,” he said.
“There’s at least four out there we’re going after and it’s reinvigorated the investigation.”
Some members of the suspected murder gang remain in the North while others are based in the US. While Brady is the first person to be convicted in relation to the murder of Det-Gda Donohoe, gardaí are hoping he won’t be the last person to face justice.
He was a great community man, a great family man and a great detective