Lines of Enquiry

In this episode of Lines of Enquiry: Case Notes, Nules Ní Chléirigh, creator and host of Ireland Crimes and Mysteries, returns for another conversation with John Sweetman.

This time, they look further back into Ireland’s criminal history, discussing Maamtrasna and the murder at Shandy Hall. They explore wrongful convictions, language barriers at trial and the lack of forensic science during these times, and how these stories live on generations later.

Turning to more recent investigations, John and Nules discuss the challenges of revisiting unsolved murders and disappearances, including Raonaid Murray, Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob. They reflect on the limits of searches, the potential of advances in forensic techniques, and why a lack of public updates does not necessarily mean an investigation has stopped.

They also discuss how speaking with families can reveal a person beyond the headlines, sharing interests, ambitions and everyday details that help ensure a victim’s life is not defined solely by their death.

If you’d like to get in touch, email [email protected] and follow @linesofenquirypodcast on Instagram.

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We have reached the end of Season 4 of Lines of Enquiry. While the team are planning, researching, writing and recording Season 5, John is sitting down with a series of guests for Lines of Enquiry: Case Notes.

In this episode, John is joined by Paul Curran, a retired Detective Sergeant with An Garda Síochána.

Paul spent over 27 years working in major crime scene investigation, specialising in Garda photography, aerial and drone photography, and facial identification using EvoFIT.

In this conversation, Paul reflects on the role of photography in serious investigations, from documenting crime scenes and post-mortems to capturing fragile evidence such as fingerprints in blood or dust. He explains why crime scene photography is not about recreating what happened, but carefully recording a scene as it was found.

Paul also speaks about the development of forensic photography over his career, from darkrooms and film to digital photography, video walkthroughs, aerial photography and the use of EvoFIT in facial identification.

Throughout the episode, he reflects on the responsibility of documenting some of the most serious crime scenes, and the role that careful, accurate photography can play in helping victims and their families.

In the summer of 2024 social workers from Tusla were trying to establish the whereabouts of an eight-year-old boy, named Kyran Durnin. They had concerns about his welfare, and where he might be living.  

In July, a child was brought to meet them, and they were told it was Kyran. A second meeting followed in early August, and again the social workers were told the child was Kyran.

Then, weeks later, Kyran and his mother Dayla were reported missing. 

As Gardaí begin investigating, they obtained family photographs of Kyran and showed them to the officials who attended those meetings. Social workers realise the boy in the photographs is not the child they met.   

Soon, detectives realise they can find no trace of Kyran in recent months, or even years. Eventually gardai will tell the public they believe Kyran to be “missing, presumed dead”.

This week we look at the still unresolved case of the missing Kyran Durnin, an ongoing investigation which has now for two years been trying to establish where Kyran is, and what may have happened to him. Alongside the garda investigation, there have been serious questions raised about how a child could disappear from the view of all public authorities for so long without anyone realising he was gone.

This episode is not an attempt to solve an active case from the outside. It is an examination of the verified timeline and the gaps within it, that allowed Kyran to vanish.

Presented by John Sweetman  
Created by Darren Cleary  
Written by Darren Cleary  
Script Edited by Siobhan Walsh, Sam Hobson and Eoin Brennan  
Produced by Sam Hobson  
Senior Producer by Siobhan Walsh  
Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan  
Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons  
Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh  
Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith  
Marketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín Reilly  
Social Media Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree  
Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

In the aftermath of the 1988 shooting at Sligo Hospital, Gardaí were drawn into a dramatic confrontation that saw a car plunge into the murky waters of Donegal Bay.

As the investigation moved towards trial, the case became about more than the tragic death of Anne and Annie Gillespie. It exposed the limits of the justice system. In court, questions arose over mental health and responsibility, with consequences that would haunt the Gillespie family for decades.

Presented by John Sweetman  
Created by Darren Cleary  
Written by Anna Priestland  
Script Edited by Siobhan Walsh, Sam Hobson and Eoin Brennan  
Produced by Sam Hobson  
Senior Producer by Siobhan Walsh  
Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan  
Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons  
Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh  
Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith  
Marketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín Reilly  
Social Media Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree  
Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

In County Donegal in 1988, 18-year-old Anne Gillespie was looking forward to a future beyond her hometown of Ballybofey. Despite her close friendships and a tight bond with her mother Annie, after Anne sat her leaving cert she had started to dream of a life of her own.

But not everyone in her life was happy when Anne started to grow more independent - and soon she and her mother would find themselves targeted by a man consumed by rage, jealousy and obsession.

Presented by John Sweetman
Created by Darren Cleary
Written by Anna Priestland

Script Edited by Siobhan Walsh, Sam Hobson and Eoin Brennan
Produced by Sam Hobson
Senior Produced by Siobhan Walsh

Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan
Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons

Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh
Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith

Marketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín Reilly
Social Media Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree

Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

In Connemara, on a cold winter’s night in 1998, two sisters, Aine and Siobhán Hynes left their home and headed out to meet friends, driving to the disco in the nearby coastal village of Carraroe. The next morning, Aine was woken up by her mother asking where was Siobhán? The 17-year-old never made it home.

In this episode, John explores the harsh and isolated landscape of Connemara, and how fear spread across the tightknit community after the tragic and cruel events of December 6th 1998.

Presented by John Sweetman

Created by Darren Cleary

Episode Written by Siobhan Walsh

Script Edited by Eoin Brennan

Produced by Siobhan Walsh

Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons

Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh

Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith

Marketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín Reilly

Social Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree

Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

John Sweetman invites you to join him for a special milestone: the first ever Lines of Inquiry live podcast, happening December 2nd at the O’Reilly Theatre in Dublin.

Across one evening, we’ll revisit the stories Ireland can’t forget—tracking the crucial clues that helped piece investigations together, and the small details revealed in court that brought justice into focus.

John will also be joined on stage by special guests, offering expert testimony and firsthand insight from working on some of Ireland’s most notorious crimes.

Tickets on sale now: https://takeyourseats.ticketsolve.com/shows/873690336/events

As Declan Flynn made his way home in the early hours of September 10th 1982, he did not know what danger lurked in nearby Fairview park on the north side of Dublin City. In the dark shadows, was a gang with a mission. That night, kind and innocent Declan became their unknowing target.

In this episode, John explores the tragic case of Declan Flynn, a vulnerable man trying to live his life in a country where simply being yourself was considered a crime.

Lives of Enquiry is going on stage for our first ever live show on December 2nd in the O’Reilly Theatre, Dublin. Tickets go on sale on September 3rd  from www.oreillytheatre.com. To get a reminder, and a link to buy tickets, sign up to our mailing list here: https://bauermediaireland.jotform.com/260255277392057

Presented by John Sweetman

Created by Darren Cleary

Episode Written by John Sweetman

Script Edited by Siobhan Walsh

Produced by Siobhan Walsh

Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons

Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh

Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith

Marketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín Reilly

Social Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree

Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

80 year old, Nancy Nolan didn’t answer her daughter’s calls on the 16th of February, 2000. Her neighbour noticed that her car hadn’t moved in a few days. They were worried about her and sent Gardaí out to check in.  The Gardaí found Nancy Nolan lying in a pool of blood in her hallway. It was clear this was not an accident.

For locals in the small village of Ballygar, Co. Roscommon, Nancy’s death dredged up memories of another murder nearly 20 years earlier that still haunted the village.  In this week’s Lines of Enquiry, John revisits the case that shocked the small community and explores how the impact of Nancy’s death rippled across the country.

Lives of Enquiry will be going on stage for our first ever live show on December 2nd in the O’Reilly Theatre, Dublin. Tickets go on sale on September 3rd  from www.oreillytheatre.com. To get a reminder, and a link to buy tickets, sign up to our mailing list here: https://bauermediaireland.jotform.com/260255277392057

Presented by John Sweetman

Created by Darren Cleary

Episode Written by Anna Priestland

Script Edited by Siobhan Walsh

Produced by Siobhan Walsh

Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons

Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh

Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith

Marketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín Reilly

Social Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree

Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

On 16th of April 1984, a man jogging on a beach in West Kerry found the body of a newborn baby. The child had been stabbed to death. Nobody knew who his parents were, where he had come from, how he handed up on that beach – and nobody knew his name.

 The discovery on the beach would lead to multiple garda investigations and would see a small family from rural County Kerry thrown into the national spotlight. It would become a case centred around staggering claims made against one young woman, and allegations of intimidation and coercion against the country’s leading detectives.

 In this episode, John tells us about how the search to solve the case of that baby on the beach in County Kerry would become a national scandal that would change Ireland forever.

Presented by John Sweetman

Created by Darren Cleary

Episode Written by David Malone

Script Edited by Eoin Brennan and Siobhan Walsh

Produced by Siobhan Walsh & Aoife Plunkett

Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons

Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh

Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith

Marketing Support by Laura Bracken and Róisín Reilly

Social Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree

Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree