Parents relieved over guilty plea
THE parents of a Dundalk man who died in a violent attack have said they are "satisfied" that his killer pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Tom and Peggy Myers from Farndreg told The Dundalk Democrat that they were "shocked but delighted" by the outcome of the trial for the murder of their son, Aidan.
"Murder or manslaughter, it doesn't matter. We are glad that he admitted killing Aidan and that he pleaded guilty to injuring Aidan's friend, Gearid O'Donnell who was with him at the time of the attack," said Tom.
"Gearid was a bit forgotten through all of this and we are happy there has been a bit of justice for him. We are now hoping that the sentence will reflect the severity of the attack and violence on both Aidan and Gearid."
Angelo O'Riordan from Point Road, Bellurgan, Dundalk had been on trial for the murder of Mr Myers at Faughart in December 2006.
O'Riordan (23) had denied the charge, but on day 19 of the trial (Monday, July 26), he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, following his girlfriend's evidence. The plea was accepted by the DPP.
Aidan's mother, Peggy said: "We didn't expect it so came as a shock but it was a relief to be able to go home. The trial could have gone on for another ten days or two weeks.
"If he hadn't pleaded guilty to manslaughter who knows what would have happened. It was down to the jury. That was always hanging over us."
Both Tom and Peggy extended their thanks to the garda for their hard work and dedication to the case; senior counsel for the prosecution, Pauline Walley; the witnesses who gave evidence in the trial; and to the Court Support Services for their help.
"There were some great witnesses who progressed the case. We are grateful to them. It can't have been easy and it took courage," said Tom.
Peggy added: "We feel justice has been done and we are relieved not to be going up to Dublin every day now. It's harrowing. Every day feels like a week and every week feels like a month.
"We would come home after a day in court and not be fit for anything. I didn't stay for some of it. It would be too raw even though we'd have heard it. It was a bit hard to take."
Aidan (37) was the eldest of the Myers' family and is survived by two brothers and three sisters - Nicola, Cormac, Niall, Andrea, and Aoife.
q More on the trial on pages 2 and 3.
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