By Olivia Kelleher

A MAN on trial for murder has told the Central Criminal Court that his then partner carried out the killing and he tried to protect her as he believed she was pregnant with his child.

Daniel Hourigan (33), originally from Farranree in Cork city denies the murder of West Cork native Michael Foley (61).

Mr Foley was found dead by a care worker on February 6th, 2024, at the Housing First property at Annville, Barrett’s Place in Macroom where he lived.

Hourigan gave evidence to the jury on Monday. His former partner Linda O’Flynn, who is a native of Hollyhill in Cork city, is not a party to this trial.

Hourigan said that Foley was a ‘relative through marriage’ and that he had stayed in his home in Macroom for six weeks in 2023 when he was in need of accommodation.

He said that he had gone to the home of Mr Foley in Macroom on January 31st, 2024 accompanied by Ms O’Flynn. The then couple stayed overnight.

He told the jury that he woke during the night to the ‘sound of the place being broken up and stuff being moved around’.

Hourigan said that he got out of bed and went to the door of the kitchen where he saw O’Flynn. He indicated that his then partner ‘was freaking out’.

‘I said, ‘Linda what are you after doing?’ Michael was on the floor. I saw the pool of blood.’ Hourigan said that he asked O’Flynn to call for an ambulance but she said that there was ‘no ambulance being rang’.

He said that he had tried to lift Foley on to the sofa but found himself unable to do so. He stated that he put a cushion under his head and checked for a pulse. He detected a faint pulse. He said that he started wiping the floor. He also claimed that Ms O’Flynn was ‘bagging stuff in a black bag’.

Hourigan stated that he went to the bathroom to wash his hands and that when he returned his partner had already left the property. He claimed O’Flynn was at the end of the road  when he left the house. He said that they subsequently boarded a bus to Cork city.

He stated that he felt a ‘wave of emotions’ on the bus. However, Hourigan said that Ms O’Flynn was acting ‘like nothing had happened’.

Hourigan told the jury that at the time his belief was that O’Flynn was pregnant with his baby. He said that Foley had agreed to be the godfather to his unborn child.

Hourigan insisted he had ‘no part or role in Michael’s murder’.

Over the course of the cross examination Hourigan insisted that he was ‘protecting Linda from what she had done’. Hourigan said that by the time he got on the bus his focus was on getting his next fix of drugs rather than on calling an ambulance.

Earlier in the trial a statement from a woman who had been staying at Mr Foley’s home, Neringa Stalioniene, was read to Judge Siobhan Lankford. Ms Stalioniene said she heard another man swearing in the property on the last day Mr Foley was seen alive.

The jury of six men and six women heard that 5,000 hours of CCTV footage was harvested as part of the murder probe. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster gave evidence that Mr Foley had 30 incision wounds – 11 stab wounds and 19 slash wounds. He also suffered 23 blunt force trauma injuries.