The bodies of an elderly man and an elderly woman were discovered at a domestic residence in Cloneen, Co Tipperary on Monday, June 20, Gardaí said in a statement yesterday.
Gardaí said that they were “investigating all circumstances” and that an examination by the Garda Technical Bureau would take place later that evening.
Chief State Pathologist Dr. Linda Mulligan carried out post-mortems on the couple at Waterford University Hospital today, June 21, Tipperary Live reports.
The alarm was reportedly raised on Monday when a local noticed cars parked at the back of the couple's house. The local contacted a city councillor, who contacted gardaí, who gained access to the property and ultimately made the tragic discovery.
Reports have since emerged that the bodies of the two people, who were originally from England, may have been in the Cloneen residence for a year.
“People had thought that they had moved away from Ireland during the Covid pandemic but unfortunately this was not the case,” one person told Independent.ie.
“There was an appreciation that these were quiet and private people so nobody was going to impose on them," another person told The Journal. "That had to be respected too.”
The rural community in Co Tipperary is in disbelief after the discovery.
“Everyone here is shocked," local Fine Gael councillor Mark Fitzgerald told the Irish Examiner.
“Cloneen is a very small, close-knit village. It’s a sad thing to see happen. As one man said to me ‘we’re on the news, you never expect to see it for people in your own village’.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin also responded to the incident, telling reporters in Dublin on Monday: “I think communities across the country generally do keep an eye out for neighbours and there’s many different organisations and networks that do that.
“And of course, we have to continually do that and be vigilant in terms of looking after neighbours and particularly elderly neighbours or vulnerable neighbours who may need help and support. We certainly have to do that.”
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