Lines of Enquiry

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

Irene White woke up as normal on the 6th of April, 2005. She brought her three kids to school, chatted to the other parents, and returned home where she began washing up dishes. Irene’s mother Maureen lived in a mobile home in the garden and had a routine of calling in to her daughter for a chat and a cup of tea.
On this day, she found her daughter on the floor of her kitchen, surrounded by blood. Her eyes were open and she still had her washing up gloves on.
In this episode of Lines of Enquiry, John looks back at a case that evaded Dundalk Gardaí for years, until a critical and unexpected break in the case paved the way for detectives to delve further into the case and unmask the people behind a murder that shocked Ireland.

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

Brian Kearney arrived to work shortly before 8am on his 49th birthday – February 28th, 2006. Before he left home that morning he poured his 3 year old son Dan a bowl of Coco Pops. Later that morning, Dan’s aunt Niamh arrived at the home. She found the young child alone, crying. His mammy, Siobhan McLaughlin, had never come downstairs that morning.
After an early suspicion of suicide, one piece of evidence was essential in upgrading the case to a murder investigation - A purple vacuum flex found at the scene. In this episode of Lines of Enquiry, John Sweetman revisits the tragic death of 38-year-old Siobhan McLaughlin in Goatstown, South Dublin and the search for her killer.
Presented by John Sweetman
Created by Darren Cleary
Episode Written by John Sweetman
Script Edited by Eoin Brennan
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

When Gardaí are called out following a burglary at the offices of a family run business in Ennis, Co. Clare, they aren't overly concerned. Two computers and some small items have been stolen. But when a hitman shows up at the home of the two young brothers who run the business gardaí realise there is much more to the case.
In this episode of Lines of Enquiry, John Sweetman, brings us a case so strange that, at first, even gardaí couldn’t believe it was real.
We bring you through the web of online connections that led a hitman from the United States to County Clare, to sting operation to try to catch the assassin, the involvement of the FBI, and the trail of emails that revealed the full and incredible story.
Presented by John Sweetman
Created by Darren Cleary
Episode Written by Anna Priestland
Produced by Siobhan Walsh
Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan
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

In April 2015, 24-year-old Cork woman Karen Buckley went for a night out with friends in Glasgow, where she was studying to become a nurse.
When Karen did not return home or answer her friends’ calls, police began searching for her. Their investigation soon focussed on a man seen speaking with Karen outside a nightclub, moments after she was last seen by her friends.
Over the next few days detectives would conduct an intense, detailed investigation to trace Karen’s movements and identify the man she spoke with. Through the analysis of hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, public appeals, forensics and police interviews, a picture would soon begin to emerge. It would become a case that deeply affected people in both Ireland and Scotland, as the shocking, heart-breaking truth emerged.
In this episode of Lines of Enquiry, John Sweetman recounts that investigation in detail, and the impact of a crime that caused deep pain across two countries.
Presented by John Sweetman
Created by Darren Cleary
Episode Written by Anna Priestland
Script Edited by Eoin Brennan & 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