When Martin Conmey and Dick Donnelly were charged with the murder of Una Lynskey, their friends and family were sure the truth would save them in court.
From the first day of their trial in late June 1972, it was clear that the prosecution would need to place them on the lane at the same time as Una to get a conviction.
The lads insisted that was not possible – and there were plenty of people ready to back them up under oath.
When it came time to take the stand, however, the witnesses found it difficult to get their stories across to the jury.
Marty’s sister Anne Kerrigan, who would later go on to marry Dick Donnelly, was willing to testify that they couldn’t have been on the lane at the time – because they had given her a lift to nearby Barron’s shop.
She told Inside the Crime that the prosecution couldn’t get her out of the box quick enough when it was her turn to take the stand.
“I remember getting up in the witness box and trying to tell my story, but you only answered the questions they wanted you to answer,” she said.
“It was yes or no, you couldn’t tell them what exactly happened, it was yes or no, which was very frustrating.
You can read Anne's full testimony here:
Meanwhile, Paraic Gaughan who had seen a “middle-aged man, well dressed, with a suit and tie” driving a similar car to Dick’s down Porterstown Lane the night Una disappeared said he “didn’t get a chance” to describe him to the jury.
“I would have loved to have been able to say more,” he said. “To describe him when I was there and what he was wearing and to describe the car – but I wasn’t afforded that opportunity.
“It was just all too short.”
You can read Paraic's full testimony here:
Season 3 of Inside The Crime is a story of divided loyalties, misplaced vengeance and an act of cruel injustice.
At the heart of it all, however, is the unsolved murder of a 19-year-old girl.
This is the story of the Una Lynskey Murder.
Throughout the season, you can go Deeper Inside the Crime with interactive maps, family trees and in-depth articles examining the key points from the story.
Listen and subscribe to Inside the Crime on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify now.
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