A woman found dead in her home in Co Galway last Friday evening has been named locally as Philomena Hernon (70s), a widow and mother of three adult children.
Ms Hernon, whose death is being investigated by gardaí, was the sister of former Fianna Fáil MEP Seán Ó Neachtain.
While a man was arrested at the scene when emergency services arrived at Ms Hernon’s home in Spiddal last Friday evening, that arrest was not related to her death. Rather, the man became highly agitated and had to be subdued by force before he was detained.
The deceased woman was discovered by a man known to her at around 5.30pm on Friday. The emergency services were alerted and when gardaí and paramedics arrived at the property, a dormer bungalow in Salahoona, Ms Hernon was pronounced dead.
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It is suspected she had been dead for some time, perhaps a matter of hours, before her remains were discovered and the alarm was raised. The Garda investigation is trying to establish if she fell, perhaps while on the stairs, or if there was third party involvement.
The house was sealed off after Ms Hernon was pronounced dead and a forensic examination was commenced as part of efforts to determine if Ms Hernon’s death arose from an accident or if it resulted from foul play.
In reply to queries, Garda Headquarters said Galway gardaí were “continuing to investigate all the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body of a woman at a domestic residence in Spiddal” last Friday evening.
“The body of the woman, aged in her 60s, was removed to University Hospital Galway where a postmortem examination has been completed by the State Pathologist,” it said.
“The results of this postmortem examination are not being released for operational reasons. A technical examination of the scene has now been completed. Investigations are ongoing.”
Ms Hernon was discovered in the hallway of her home, beside the stairs. Her remains were left in situ until about lunchtime on Saturday, when they were removed for a postmortem after being examined by a pathologist at the scene.
