Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

Listen Now: Lines of Enquiry

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For fans of true crime like the loyal and dedicated listeners of Mens Rea, we want to recommend a new Irish series that I think you’ll really apprec...

Bonus - Tom & Kitty Fitzgerald

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally published asa Patreon exclusive on 12 Jan 2020.In 2016, shocking news broke that an elderly couple were found dead in thei...

Bonus - Satanic Panic in Palmerstown

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 2 December 2018In this episode we take a look at the little-known so-called "satanic" ...

Bonus - The Mysterious Death of Patrick Nugent

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 6 Oct 2019In the early hours of the 11th February, 1984, Patrick Nugent died in a car ...

Bonus - Tina Cahill & the death of David Walsh

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 2 June 2019.This is our first bonus episode to take place outside of Ireland, but invo...

Bonus - Kilkenny City Cold Cases

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 5 May 2019.Two women were murdered in the 1980's in Kilkenny. They were unconnected, a...

Bonus - Eileen Costello O'Shaughnessy

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was initially released as a Patreon exclusive on 8th Sept 2019In November of 1997, Eileen O'Shaughnessy went to work as normal. She drove...

Bonus - The Killing of Tom O'Gorman

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was first released as a Patreon exclusive on 7th October 2018This is the story of the shocking killing of Tom O'Gorman by his lodger, Sev...

Bonus: Dolores McCrea

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This Bonus episode was first published as a "Guilt Trip" episode on Patreon on 7th April 2019. Dolores McCrea married the man that she had met and fal...

138 - The Longest Wait for Justice: Nora Sheehan

01 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1981, Nora Sheehan went missing from Ballyphehane, Co Cork. She was found dead a week later, and gardai soon had a prime suspect for her murder whi...

137 - A Legacy of Violence: Derek Benson

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the middle of the night on the 13th May, 2000, a flat in Ballymun was set alight. Inside, the body of Derek Benson was found. But his cause of deat...

Bonus: GT - Kitty Carroll

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kitty Carroll was killed by Michael Murphy in Drogheda in 1983 - he would go on to kill again. This episode was originally posted to Patreon as a...

136 - David Byrne: Murder in a Dark Corner

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In March of 2011, 19 year old David Byrne set out to meet someone near to his home in Drimnagh, Dublin City. Little did he know that he was walking in...

135: The Superglue killer: The murder of Julie Tennant

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In August 2000, 21 year old Julie Tennant went missing from her home in Ballymena. Her parents searched desperately for her, while RUC officers began ...

Listen Now: 48 Hours

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of television's most popular true-crime series is now adapted for your ears with the “48 Hours” podcast. Every week, award-winning CBS News co...

134 - A Question of Self Defence: The murder of Leslie Kenny

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Just after 10am, on Wednesday the 29th July 2008, shots rang out on a busy residential road in Kilrush, Co Clare. Two men who lived on the street, Les...

133 - Killer on the Run: The murder of Emer O'Loughlin

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you have any information on the whereabouts of John Griffin, you can contact Gort Garda Station on (091) 636400, the Garda Confidential line at 180...

132 - Nagged to Kill: The death of Gary Cotter

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

28 year old mother of one Norma Crotty appeared on her neighbours doorstep early on the morning of January 3rd, 1995. She was in a distressed state, a...

131 - For the Love of Money: The murder of Paul Jones

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In September of 2019, Paul Jones was found dead in the hallway of his home on Bandon Road, in Cork. The 54 year old had a chequered past, but for the ...

130 - Drugs, Death and Butchery: The Deaths of Vincent Costello, Morgan Costello and Damien Monahan

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the early hours of 29th April, 2000, a fire was discovered in an upmarket flat in the seaside resort of Scheveningen, The Hague. Three occupants we...

129 - A Battle for Justice: The murder of Brian Fizgerald

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the early hours of 29th November, 2002, 34 year old father of two arrived home from working his shift as the security manager at a popular nightclu...

128 - A Questionable Conviction: The Deaths of Margaret and Martin Glynn

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On a chilly Sunday morning in December of 1980, Michael Kelly arrived at a neighbours house in a panic. There was a fire in the house he was staying i...

127 - An Unusual Defence: Layla Brennan

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In March of 1999, Phillip Colgan and his wife Mary walked into Rathfarnham Garda Station and with a story to tell. It would be his first of many., and...

126 - Sex, Lies and Videotape: the murder of Gerry McGinley

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In August of 2000, Gerry McGinley disappeared from his home near Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. His wife Julie said he had packed up a plastic bag and had...

125 - Murder by Car: Daniel McDonald

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the early hours of 2nd February, 2007, a tragedy occurred on the main street of Arklow, Co Wicklow. A man had been struck by a car and lay dying in...

124 - Siobhan Hynes: Murder Most Foul

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

17 year old Siobhan Hynes went out with friends to the small village of an Cheathru Rua on the night of Sat 5th December 1998. She never made it home....

123 - Death in the Sun: Celine Conroy

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 2005, Celine Conroy decided to pack up her three kids to spend the summer in Spain alongside her partner Paul Hickey. But rather than...

122 - Darragh Conroy: The mobile phone murder

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the night of the 11th Nov, 2003, Patricia Conroy frantically searched the small midlands town of Mountmellick for her 14 year old son Darragh. He w...

121- For Reasons Unknown: The murder of Kenneth O'Brien

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In January of 2016, people started to find body parts wrapped in shopping bags on a stretch of the Grand Canal in Co. Kildare. To gardai, this looked...

120 - Dear Diary: The murder of Alison Shaughnessy

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In June of 1991, 21 year old newly-wed Alison Shaughnessy was found lying in a pool of blood at the entrance to her flat in London by her husband John...

119: Missing Mary

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Boyle disappeared from a swampy field next her grandparents home in an isolated part of Donegal in 1977. She disappeared without a trace, and he...

118 - Raonaid Murray (from the Guilt Trip Archives)

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the night of the 3rd of September 1999, Raonaid Murray was walking home through Dun Laoghaire and Glenageary in South Dublin. As she took a short ...

117 - The Burden They Carry: The murder of Marie Kilmartin

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In December of 1993, 35 year old Marie Kilmartin got a phone call. Then, she left her house and never returned. Marie's body was recovered some six m...

116 - Tom Clisham's Body

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In December of 1997, 53 year old bachelor farmer Tom Clisham was found dead in his cottage in Galway. He hadn't been seen in some time, and his body w...

Introducing - Bad Women: The Blackout Ripper

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s a preview of Bad Women: The Blackout Ripper. Over a single week in February 1942, a depraved serial killer stalked London’s dark and WWII...

Introducing - The ReWatcher: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Hellmouth Weirdos! Your favourite Morbid hosts Ash and Alaina are branching out from true crime and heading to Sunnydale for the ultima...

115 - Flawed Relationships: The killing of Julia O'Brien

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Before the sun had even risen on the morning of Christmas Eve, 1995 Julia O'Brien was discovered dead on the floor in her home in Drimoleague, Co Cork...

114 - Damaged Individuals: The Murder of Patrick Sammon

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In June 1997, Patrick Sammon was murdered in his home in Galway in the course of an argument. What had led to the fight that night would be a story ...

Introducing: American Scandal - Edward Snowden, from Wondery

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, took a large toll on America’s sense of security. In the dawn of this new era, Congress moved to take...

From the Archives: Marilyn Rynn: The Shortcut

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In December of 1995, 41 year old Marilyn Rynn disappeared after attending her workplace Christmas party. Two weeks later her body was found hidden in ...

From the Archives: The Disappearance of Philip Cairns

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Thursday the 26th of October 1986, Philip Cairns left his Ballyroan Road home after eating his lunch. He was headed back to school. But he never ma...

From the Archives: The Murder of Manuela Riedo

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Three days after arriving in Galway in October of 2007, 17 year old Swiss girl Manuel Riedo was found dead on some marshy ground just outside the city...

From the Archives: The murder of Jill Meagher & the serial sex crimes of Adrian Bayley

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Friday the 22nd September 2012, Jill Meagher left work after a long week and went out for a night on the town in her adopted home of Melbourne, Aus...

Announcement + Bonus: Behind the Mic with Mens Rea

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An update on the show for the summer followed by a live session from CrimeCon London 2022 where Sinead goes behind the mic with her true crime podcast...

113 - The Passers-by: The murder of Deirdre Mulcahy

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In September of 1989, 19 year old Deirdre Mulcahy was heading out for the night to meet her friends in Midleton, Co Cork. She never returned home. The...

112 - A Terrible Thing: The murder of Marie Buckley

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On 9 November 1970, in the little village of Clonroche, Co Wexford, a young girl went missing. Just a few hours later her body was found dumped in a f...

111 - Unsolved: The killing of Belinda Pereira

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the 29th of December, 1996, Gardai were called to a flat on Liffey St in Dublin city centre. Inside was the body of 26 year old British-Sri Lankan ...

110 - Too Little, Too Late: The murder of Amanda Jenkins

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Jenkins was the sort of person who looked for the good in everyone. She was just 27 years old when she was found dead on her bedroom floor. ...

109 - No Air: The Murder of Csaba Orsos

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the morning of 26th March, 2013, a car entered the water at Arklow pier. Only one of it's occupants emerged from the freezing, rough water. Was it ...

108 - Bonus: Rebecca French

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A burning car was found in a country lane, just outside of Wexford Town in 2009. When emergency services examined it's remaining shell, the body of a ...

Introducing: American Hostage

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the series premiere, radio DJ Fred Heckman (Jon Hamm) receives an unexpected call from a listener that turns his life upside down. Follow American...

107 - The Day Trip: Bettina Poeschel

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On 25th September, 2001, 28 year old German tourist Bettina Poeschel took a train from Dublin to Drogheda, Co Louth. She wanted to visit Newgrange - a...

106 - Unintentional: The murder of Ann Walsh

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In August of 2005, 23 year old Ann Walsh was found dead in the grounds of the parish church in Kilrush, Co Clare. Gardai made an arrest shortly after ...

105 - Vendetta: The murder of Tracy Butler

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In July of 1993, 17 year old Tracy Butler was set upon and stabbed to death while walking home in what appeared to be a random act of violence. But as...

104 - Brazen: The murder of Rose Farrelly

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

57 year old Rose Farrelly was found dead in her own home on the morning of the 15th February 1993. It appeared that the house had been broken into, an...

Introducing Families Who Kill: The Donut Shop Murders

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the era of some of the most heinous serial killers of all time, one murderous family went curiously unnoticed: The McCrarys. Led by a psychopathic ...

103 - A killing at Christmas: The murder of Maire Rankin

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Christmas morning, 2008, 81 year old widow Maire Rankin was not answering the phone. Family members called around to her Newry home to check on her...

102 - The murder of Colleen Mulder

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2004, 41 year old mother of 6, Colleen Mulder was found dead in her bed. Quickly, her husband Anton was arrested. Was Anton being abused? Or was he...

101 - A Few Days in May

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In early May, 1996 - three women were killed violently in their own homes in separate incidents across Ireland. It all occurred in the space of three ...

100 - Provocation & the Gay Panic defence

24 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There has been a lot of progress in relation to equal rights and protections for members of the LGBTQ+ in Ireland. However, despite decriminalisation ...

99 - Loose Threads: The murder of Deborah Robinson

17 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1980, 19 year old Deborah Robinson took a bus from her home in Belfast down to Dublin for the day. She never returned. Her body was found in ditch ...

98 - A Question of Disorder: The murders of Anne & Annie Gillespie

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1988, Anne Gillespie was 18 years old. She was looking forward to embarking on adult life. There was just one problem - her boyfriend of over three...

Bonus: The Killing of Fr Niall Molloy

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the course of researching the assassination of Veronica Guerin, I came across the mention of files stolen from the offices of the Director of Pub...

97 - Part Two: With Impunity

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

7 years apart, two young and vulnerable teenaged girls went missing - Arlene Arkinson in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 1994 and Hannah Williams in L...

97 - Part One: With Impunity

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

7 years apart, two young and vulnerable teenaged girls went missing - Arlene Arkinson in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 1994 and Hannah Williams in L...

96 - Nicola Furlong: Murder in the Land of the Rising Sun

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In May of 2012, Nicola Furlong and her best friend Sarah were enjoying an exciting year on Erasmus in a university in Japan. On the night of the 23rd,...

95 - Desecration: The murder of Patricia O'Connor

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 2017, body parts were discovered strewn across the scenic landscape of the Dublin and Wicklow mountains. Gardai began a wide-scale se...

94 - Bonus: Serial - Slawomir Gierlowski

19 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In May of 2016, a woman was attacked as she walked to work by a man wielding a knife. In the course of the investigation, the assault was linked to tw...

93 - Never Forget: The murder of Marioara Rostas

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In January 2008, 18 year old Marioara got into a car on Lombard Street in Dublin City centre, where she and some of her family had been begging for ch...

92 - No Excuse: The murder of Mary Doogue

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In October of 1995, Mary Doogue was beaten to death. She lay in her bed in her cold dark home for 12 hours before she got any medical attention, and d...

91 - Pure Thuggery: The murders of Mariusz Szwajkos & Pawel Kalite

03 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In February of 2008, two Polish men living and working in Drimnagh, South Dublin were killed in a fight outside their home. Both had been stabbed in t...

Bonus: CrimeConVersations with Mens Rea & Once Upon a Crime

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

CrimeConVersations is a brand-new True Crime podcast brought to you by CrimeCon UK. In the lead up to CrimeCon UK in London, CrimeCon UK are bringin...

90 - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Siobhan McLoughlin

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On 28th February 2006, Siobhan McLoughlin was found dead in locked bedroom. At first glance, it looked as if she had tragically taken her own life. Bu...

89 - The Ordeal: Jennifer Guinness

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In April of 1986, three armed men burst into a lavish home in Howth. When they left, they brought with them Jennifer Guinness, mother of three and wif...

88 - Location Unknown: The murder of Meg Walsh

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In October of 2006, Meg Walsh went missing. She wasn't at her home, and she didn't turn up for work. The garda investigation that followed revealed th...

87 - The Murder of Manuela Riedo

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Three days after arriving in Galway in October of 2007, 17 year old Swiss girl Manuel Riedo was found dead on some marshy ground just outside the ci...

86 - Vengeance: The hunt for Raoul Moat

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Raoul Moat was released from a short stint in prison in 2010. In the days that followed he shot three people, including a Northumberland police office...

85 - Monster in the Garage: Patricia Murphy

07 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In May of 1996, a woman's body was found behind a skip in Glasnevin, Dublin city. Late on the 27th, Patricia Murphy had been reported missing from her...

84 - Dark Saga: The murder of Philomena Gillane

24 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In May of 1994, Philomena Gillane was 7 months pregnant. On the morning of Wednesday the 11th, she left her home early to head to work. But she never ...

83 - The Disappearance of Philip Cairns

10 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Thursday the 26th of October 1986, Philip Cairns left his Ballyroan Road home after eating his lunch. He was headed back to school. But he never ma...

82 - Frenzied: Redvers Bickley

20 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday, September 9th 2017, a group of women were celebrating a 25th birthday in a house in Rhyl, Wales.  Tyler Denton was hosting the party for...

81 - A Voyage of Fiction: The Murder of Aoife Phelan

06 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In October of 2012, 30 year old Aoife Phelan went missing without a trace. Aoife had simply left a friends house and vanished with no sign of what mig...

80 - Trauma: The murder of Wayne McQuillan

22 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the early hours New Year's day, 2014 Wayne McQuillan stumbled out of a house in Rathmullen Park, Drogheda Co Louth. He was covered in blood. Paula ...

79 - Savage: The murder of James Healy

09 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In February of 1996, 16 year old James Healy was found brutally beaten in a field near his home in Tralee. It wouldn't be long before gardai zeroed in...

78 - The Field: The killing of Paddy Daly

25 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In January of 1996, 69 year old bachelor farmer Paddy Daly went missing from his home just outside Killarney in Co. Kerry. His family told the press a...

77 - The Murder of Georgina Eager

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In May of 2003, family members discovered the body of Georgina Eager in the bedroom of her flat. The knife used to kill her was still protruding from ...

76 - House of Horrors: Cork's Missing Men

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Just before Christmas 1994, Patch O'Driscoll went missing from his bedsit in Cork City. When the garda investigation began into his missing persons ca...

75 - Pathological: The murders of Lesley Clarke & Trevor Buchanan

13 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In May of 1991, the bodies of Lesley Clarke and Trevor Buchanan were discovered in a fume filled car, parked in Lesley's deceased father's garage. The...

74 - Marilyn Rynn: The Shortcut

17 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In December of 1995, 41 year old Marilyn Rynn disappeared after attending her workplace Christmas party. Two weeks later her body was found hidden in ...

73 - The Park: The killing of Rachel Kiely

02 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

22 year old Rachel Kiely left home in Ballincollig, Co. Cork with her two dogs on the afternoon of the 26th of October 2000. Her dogs returned to the ...

72 - The Missing Postman: Larry Griffin

19 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On Christmas Day, 1929, postman Larry Griffen went to work in the small village of Stradbally, Co Waterford. As he called into homes with the post, he...

71 - A Walk in the Dark: The murder of Rachel Moran

05 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the early hours of New Years Day 2003, Rachel Moran decided leave her parents house and make the 20 minute walk to her own flat. Her worried mother...

70 - Lives of Violence: Robert Mone

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 1967, a teacher was shot in her classroom in Dundee. In 1976, two men escaped a mental hospital and killed three others in the process. In 1979...

69 - The Emergency: The IRA, spies and the murder of Michael Devereux

07 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 1940, 24 year old Michael Devereux disappeared from his home in Co Wexford. A year later, his body would be discovered buried in an isolated part o...

68 - Mountain Mysteries: The murder of Phyllis Murphy

24 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Just before Christmas 1979, 23 year old Phyllis Murphy disappeared while waiting on a bus in Newbridge, Co Kildare. Her body was found in an isolated ...

67 - Honor Bright: Murder in the Free State

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 1925, while the Irish Free State was still in it's infancy after the close of the civil war, the body of a young woman was found dead lying at a lo...

66 - A Family Destroyed: The murder of Becky Watts

26 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In February of 2015, 16 year old Becky Watts was reported missing by her family. A city - wide search ensued for the shy and socially anxious teenager...

65 - A Deadly Affair: The killing of Penny McAllister

12 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Penny and Duncan McAllister married young. But by all accounts, their marriage flourished while Duncan pursued his career as an officer in the British...

64 - Hostage at Derrada Woods: The story of Don Tidey

29 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 1980s, there was a series of kidnap-for-ransom crimes committed in the Republic by the Provisional IRA in order to raise funds to finance...

63 - Under the cover of Darkness: Dolores Lynch & Lyn Madden

15 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 1983, three women died in an horrific house fire at Blackpitts in Dublin. It would emerge that one of them - 34 year old Dolores Lynch - had been t...