Young man on trial for murder of Cork postman

Olivia Kelleher

A young man has gone on trial charged with the murder of a 44-year-old postman who was found with “catastrophic facial injuries” in the front garden of his home in Doneraile, Co Cork last year.

The 17-year-old, who can’t be named for legal reasons, went on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork on Thursday.

He is charged with the murder of father of five Barry Daly on October 12th, 2025, at Rockview Terrace in Doneraile, Co Cork. He has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty of manslaughter.

Prosecution senior counsel, Lorcan Staines, gave the jury an outline of the “anticipated facts” in the case. However, he emphasised that this was not evidence in itself.

Staines said that on October 11th, 2025 the local hurling club in Doneraile won a Junior B hurling final. It was a “major deal” in Doneraile and “most of the town went out to celebrate.”

He stated that “an enormous amount of alcohol” was consumed on the night and that at closing time a melee broke out on the Main Street outside Eily’s Bar. He said that the jury would hear evidence that Barry Daly punched the girlfriend of a man called Alex Deady and that accounts would vary as to whether it was accidental or deliberate.

He said the jury would hear that the 17-year-old was one of three young men seen walking in the direction of the home of Daly. He said that each young man had a golf club.

Staines said that the 17-year-old told gardaí that Deady, 20, hit Daly once. He claimed that he “did not do anything".

However, the prosecution barrister said that it was “fanciful” to suggest that one blow from a golf club caused the injuries suffered by Daly.

He said that DNA linked Deady of Convent Road in Doneraile to the grip of one golf club whilst the head of the club came into contact with the head of the late Barry Daly.

He said that the jury would be relying on circumstantial evidence as to what occurred at Daly’s house.

Staines stated that Daly was subsequently found “dead or dying” in the front garden of his house.

“He died extremely quickly after the incident. Barry Daly was effectively breathing in blood and died in those circumstances.”

He said that Daly had sustained catastrophic facial injuries.

“One side of this jaw is completely shattered, the other is broken. He has major injuries to the back of his head. The roof of his mouth is broken.

There is a large number of bruises and a fairly serious injury to his leg consistent with being hit by an object.”

Staines added that the onus of proof was on the prosecution and (the 17-year-old) “does not have to prove anything".

Judge Siobhan Lankford told the jury of seven women and five men that the case attracted considerable publicity. She warned them not to read anything about the case in the media.