Updated 6.55pm
GARDAÍ IN CAVAN say they are investigating ‘definite lines of inquiry’ after the bodies of five members of a family were discovered this morning.
The couple have been named locally as Alan and Clodagh Hawe, and their children were named as Niall (11), Ryan (6) and Liam (13).
The bodies of Clodagh Hawe, who is her 30s, her husband Alan Hawe, who was in his 40s, and their three sons were found at their home at Oakdene, Barconey, near Ballyjamesduff this morning.
Alan Hawe taught at Castlerahan National School, while his wife Clodagh taught at Oristown National School in Kells, Co Meath.
A statement from Castlerahan National School’s principal, Anne Foley, said:
This is a terrible tragedy for the family, our school and our community. We are deeply saddened by this event. Our sympathy and our thoughts are with the extended family and friends.
Alan was a valued member of our school staff and community. Niall and Ryan were pupils in our school and Liam was a past pupil. They were wonderful children who will be greatly missed by all who knew them.
The school has implemented its critical incident management plan in the wake of the deaths.
Psychologists from the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) have also visited the school and are supporting and advising the teachers in their efforts to assist students in dealing with the tragic event.
“The school will be open to parents to support them and to offer them advice and guidance,” said Anne Foley. She asked for people to respect the privacy of those involved.
Ann O’Kelly Lynch, principal of Oristown National School, released a statement on the death of Clodagh Hawe:
We learned this afternoon of the death of our colleague Clodagh Hawe. This is a terrible tragedy for the families, schools and the communities involved.
We are deeply saddened by this event. Our sympathies and thoughts are with Clodagh’s family and friends.
Clodagh was a much-loved and valued teacher in our school and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Psychologists from the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) have been providing support and advice to those at the school. Once again, they asked for the privacy of those involved to be respected.
Gardaí say the investigation is ongoing and they are not looking for anyone else in relation to the deaths.
“We are working on very definite lines of inquiry and we will do our best to advance the case as quickly as possible bearing in mind the people involved who are affected by this need time to deal with this tragic situation,” Assistant Garda Commissioner John O’Driscoll told reporters at Ballyjamesduff garda station this evening.
He said the Hawe family, who were well known in the area, had been at a community event yesterday.
We are sensitive to the fact that there are family members who have a very difficult time to deal with and we need to speak to them and we need to discuss the circumstances with them.
“We all , I think, in the community, at a national level but more particularly locally, everybody really feels for the families concerned and all we can do now is help the surviving members of the families to deal with the grief of this tragic circumstance that they have to deal with,” he added.
O’Driscoll also appealed to anyone who has any piece of information they believe is of relevance to the investigation to contact gardaí.
- Additional reporting Aoife Barry and Paul Hosford
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