Attempted murder accused told gardai allegation he shot neighbour was "lies 100 per cent"

by Alison O'Riordan

An attempted murder accused told gardai that the allegation he shot a neighbour was "lies 100 per cent" and that he was "shocked" to be named as the culprit, a jury has heard.

Two brothers are on trial at the Central Criminal Court charged with trying to murder another pair of brothers at an unofficial halting site in Tullamore last year.

Patrick 'Pa' Ward (38) of Kilcruttin, Tullamore, Co Offaly, is charged with attempting to murder Anthony McDonagh (40) at the unofficial halting site on March 21, 2025. John Pio Ward (42) also of Kilcruttin, is charged with the attempted murder of Michael McDonagh (46) at the same location on the same date.

Anthony McDonagh has told the trial that on the night of March 21, up to 15 people from a neighbouring halting site descended on the "unofficial" site where he lived with his family.

He described "locking eyes" with Patrick Ward before the accused man shot him in the chest outside his home. The accused man's partner Eileen is Mr McDonagh's sister.

Father-of-eight Michael McDonagh has told the trial he is "100 percent" that the second accused, John Pio Ward, shot him in the chest.

Giving evidence, Garda John Dunning told Kevin White SC, prosecuting, that Patrick Ward's home was searched in April 2025, when a small brown/black gun was found on the top shelf in a garden shed. The garda said a black gun was also found in the same location. Gardai also searched John Ward's caravan and found a small black gun in a top drawer.

Under cross-examination, the witness agreed with Damien Colgan SC, for Patrick Ward, that the jury will hear the guns found in the shed were air guns.

Detective Sergeant Caroline Lyng said she spoke to Patrick Ward at his home on March 22, 2025, where the accused said he lived with his partner Eileen and their four children, with "one on the way". The accused told the officer he had fallen out with most of Eileen's family years ago and that she "doesn't talk to them either".

Patrick Ward told the detective he had heard rumours that his name was mentioned about "what had gone on" the previous night but said he had "never left the site all night, it was pi**ing rain".

"My wife will say I was here, though she is thick with me cause they are her brothers".

The next witness, Detective Garda Andrew Dolan, said he attended the home of Patrick Ward on April 23, 2025 and initially arrested him on suspicion of an offence under section 15 of the Firearms Act as well as under section 30 of the Offences against the State Act 1939.

Patrick Ward was interviewed at Tullamore Garda Station later that day, where he told officers that he didn't see a "point of this" as he had already given a statement to Det Sgt Lyng. "You have a statement from me, that's all you are getting and you can check out those video cameras that's where I was".

When Patrick Ward was shown the two guns taken from his shed, the accused said his 10-year-old son had two 'BB' guns and that these belonged to him. He said his son's 'BB' guns "shoot out the plastic pellets".

Detective Garda Dermot Bannon said he arrested John Pio Ward at his home on April 23 for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and brought him to Tullamore Garda Station.

In his interviews, John Ward told gardai he has eight children and that those in his site have their "ups and downs". The accused said he was shocked he was arrested "cause it was nothing to do with me; I keep my nose out of it and I want to protect my kids".

John Ward said that on the evening of March 21 he got home to the site around 10pm. "I stayed in my yard and never left the yard".

The accused said his brother Patrick was "with" the McDonagh's sister; "not married, they live together". The accused said he never mixed with the McDonaghs but agreed he had known them for the past 12 years. "I've never spoken to them, I'm not a mixer".

Asked whether there was "a problem" with the McDonaghs, John Ward said "they didn't get on with 'Pa' for years". "Some disagreements; I've heard they are not nice people so I kept my distance".

Gardai also asked the accused whether there was "a bit of bad blood" between his brother Patrick Ward and the McDonagh brothers. "They don't speak, I don't get involved".

"So they don't speak?" pressed the gardai. "I don't know, I knew they weren't for awhile, I don't know to be honest," said the accused.

When gardai put it to John Ward in his second interview that Michael McDonagh was absolutely adamant he had shot him, the accused replied: "Why would I do that, no reason why I would suddenly go and shoot him". The accused also said he had never had an argument "with those people".

Officers told John Ward that Michael McDonagh had been "very descriptive" in his statement, to which the accused said "it's lies 100 per cent, I was nowhere near their yard".

Gardai put it to John Ward that Michael McDonagh had been part of an altercation outside Tullamore Hospital 20 minutes before the shooting but had identified him as the person who shot him.

"I didn't shoot him; his beef wasn't with me," the accused replied.

"Can you put any explanation why he named you?" asked the officers. "I'm shocked," said the accused.

Gardai put it to the accused that Michael had told them he was "100 per cent" he had seen John Ward that night. "I'm telling you 100 per cent I wasn't there," said the accused.

"Can you give a reason why he would identify you?" asked the officers. "I don't know, if I had an argument I would say fair enough but I didn't," replied John Ward.

Gardai asked the accused if he was saying that no one in the Ward family had shot the McDonaghs at the site. "I'm not saying anything, I didn't shoot," said John Ward.

The accused went on to say: "They never liked me from the start, I never mixed with them, even when they spoke with Pa".

"Anthony identified Pa as shooting him," continued the officers, to which the accused replied "that's a load of bo**ox".

Both accused men face further charges of the possession of firearms and violent disorder at Kilcruttin halting site on the same date. The two accused have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven men and five women.