Red Room

In May 1988, 25-year-old Priscilla Clarke disappeared after reportedly setting out on horseback near the Powerscourt Estate in County Wicklow. This episode examines the official theory that she drowned in the River Dargle, the unanswered questions surrounding that day, and her family’s decades-long fight to find Priscilla, and ensure that Ireland’s unidentified dead are treated with dignity.

This episode was researched, written and hosted by Jenny Claffey.

Sources:
An Garda Síochána — Priscilla Clarke Missing Person Profile
The Journal — The Injustice in the Search for Missing Woman Priscilla Clarke
Missing Irish People — Priscilla Clarke, Co. Wicklow
The Irish Times — Exhume Body, Say Family of Missing Woman
RTÉ Radio 1 — The Disappearance of Priscilla Clarke
RTÉ Prime Time — 22 Bodies: Identifying Ireland’s Anonymous Dead
Irish Examiner — Sister of Missing Priscilla Clarke Fears She May Lie in an Unmarked Grave
Irish Examiner — Handling of Unidentified Human Remains Shows “Lack of Dignity”
RTÉ Prime Time — Details Released on Unidentified Remains Are Only the Beginning
TheJournal.ie — “1980s Ireland was a different world”: The injustice in the search for missing woman Priscilla Clarke
Irish Independent — New probe into disappearance of Priscilla
Irish Independent — Gardaí to begin ‘cold case’ probe into mystery of missing nanny
Irish Examiner — Six unidentified remains in two graves in Wexford cemetery, says campaigner
To access bonus weekly episodes of Red Room join Patreon HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re discussing the disappearance and suspected murders of William Maughan and his pregnant girlfriend, Anastasija “Anna” Varslavane.

In April 2015, the couple were preparing to leave Gormanston and move back to William’s family home in Tallaght before their first child was born. Minutes before they were due to be collected, Anna made a final phone call in which she was reportedly heard calling for help. Neither she nor William was ever seen again.

We look at the gangland murder Gardaí believe may have led to their deaths, the suspected involvement of Cornelius Price, the intimidation faced by William’s family and the continuing search for the couple’s remains.

Written, hosted and produced by Jenny Claffey with research by Karl O’Reilly.

Sources
The sinister disappearance of Willie Maughan and pregnant Ana Varslavane
Renewed appeal for missing couple | Anglo Celt
Update – Disappearance and Murder of William Maughan and Anastasija Varslavane - Garda
New searches as part of probe into murders of William Maughan and Anastasija Varslavane
Family claims gang members killed missing couple – The Irish Times
Drogheda feud gang back controlling drugs trade after death of rival Cornelius Price | Crime World
Notorious Irish gangland figure Cornelius Price dies in UK
Mother of Keane Mulready-Woods tells court of impact of teenager’s ‘brutal, tragic and horrifying’ murder – The Irish Times
Gangland figure held over assumed murder of couple five years ago
William Maughan and partner were 'discarded like a bag of rubbish', says father
Gardaí investigating the disappearance and murder of William Maughan and Anastasija Varslavane have stood down search operation | Meath Chronicle
Murder investigation after Balbriggan shooting
To access bonus weekly episodes of Red Room join Patreon HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21-year-old Paul Quinn was lured to a farm shed on the Monaghan-Armagh border in October 2007 and beaten to death in one of the most shocking killings in modern Irish history. This week we cover the details of the case, the allegations of IRA involvement, the politics that surrounded the investigation, and wh, despite 23 arrests and almost two decades of enquiries, the Quinn family still have not seen justice.

Hosted, written & produced by Jenny Claffey with research by Karl O'Reilly.

Sources:

BBC Spotlight - The Murder of Paul Quinn
Quinn friend tells of final moments
Man in Ireland arrested over killing linked to Provisional IRA
Top Provos blamed for savage murder | Irish Independent
The 2007 killing of Paul Quinn: A timeline of the investigation and the political fallout
Provos still getting away with murder and with a barrage of shamfaced lies
To access bonus weekly episodes of Red Room join Patreon HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2019, 15-year-old French-Irish teenager Nóra Quoirin disappeared from a rainforest resort in Malaysia while on holiday with her family. What followed was a devastating search, a disputed investigation, and a family’s fight to challenge the idea that their vulnerable daughter simply wandered into the jungle alone.

This episode was written, produced and hosted by Jenny Claffey, with research by Karl O'Reilly

Sources
Teenager Disappears Into Jungle at Night While on Vacation with Family | Nora Quoirin Case Analysis — YouTube
Nóra Quoirin: Cause of death not yet established — RTÉ
What happened to Nora Quoirin? — The Week
Nóra Quoirin’s family sue Malaysian holiday resort — IrishCentral
Holoprosencephaly — NCBI / PMC
Malaysia says no one involved in death of British teen Nora Quoirin in resort — The Standard
The mysterious death of Nora Quoirin — The ASEAN Post
Defence filed in civil suit about Nóra Quoirin’s disappearance and death — Changing Times
Father says he heard “muffled noise” before teen girl vanished in Malaysia jungle — CBS News
No foreign DNA found in or on body, govt chemist testifies in Nora Anne Quoirin inquest — Malay Mail
A year after Nóra Quoirin’s body was found, her parents still believe she was abducted — The Irish Times
Malaysian judge overturns inquest verdict of misadventure in the death of teenager Nóra Quoirin — The Irish News
Nora Anne’s parents withdraw suit against resort operator — Free Malaysia Today
Nóra Quoirin’s parents say Malaysia has thwarted French inquiry into her death — Changing Times

To access bonus weekly episodes of Red Room join Patreon HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1973, seven-year-old John Horgan was murdered by his teenage neighbour in one of the most disturbing crimes in Irish history. This episode looks at the killing, the occult and religious imagery surrounding it, and the question of why the case seemed to almost disappear from public memory. It is a story about a child’s murder, but also about Catholic Ireland, secrecy, respectability, and the silence that followed.

This episode was written, hosted and produced by Jenny Claffey. Research by Karl O'Reilly.

Sources
The Boy In The Attic by David Malone
The Devil Is In The Detail
Kidnapped child was murdered in satanic rite
Murder in suburbia
The Satanic Murder Ireland Forgot
Coroner hears evidence of violent death of boy in 1973
Public servant and pillar of the church…
To access bonus weekly episodes of Red Room join Patreon HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.