Mother of Offaly All-Ireland hero makes new plea for information in relation to terrifying arson attack on family farm

THE mother of Offaly All-Ireland medallist Keith O'Neill has made a fresh appeal for information on the terrifying arson attack on the family farm.

Hundreds of thousands of euros worth of damage was caused to plant and machinery at the farm of Lorraine and Eugene O'Neill in Clonbullogue by the fire which was started maliciously there in the early hours of November 27 last.

Lorraine, whose son Keith was a member of the Offaly team which lifted the county by winning the All-Ireland Under 20 title this year, relived the night in an interview with Joe Duffy on RTE's Liveline.

She told of how the family were awoken to a farmyard full of flames with machinery and a milking parlour all affected.

Cows and calves had a narrow escape, but only because the breeze was blowing the fire in a different direction from their shed. “Luckily for the cows the wind was blowing towards the house,” she said.

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“There was another fire set up, this was the sinister thing, there was straw moved around, straw put in loads of places to start these fires. The most frightening was the workshop... nearest the house, which would have our diesel tank and our kerosene for the house, there was straw set up there. Had that gone on fire it would have been catastophic.”

She told Joe Duffy that she did not know why the fire had been lit and she is unaware of anyone having a grudge against the family.

“This was a very very dangerous thing that was done. We had a house full of children, a yard full of animals, and we don't know who and we don't know why,” she told the radio presenter.

The arson attack had impacted on the whole local community, the neighbours and farming friends of the O'Neills and she hoped the culprit can be found.

“That person didn't come into the yard and [just] throw a bit of petrol or diesel around. They spent a lot of time in our yard that night.”

CCTV in the yard was cut at about 4.45am and they realised the farm buildings were on fire at 6.45am.

“Somebody was out there for a considerable period of time. That's what's creepy,” said Lorraine.

“Somebody left their home that night at 3am and probably returned around 7am. If anybody noticed anything suspicious, somebody behaving suspiciously, overheard conversations, somebody with straw on their clothes, straw on their car, straw in their van, straw that shouldn't have been there.”

The mother of five said the gardai had been fantastic but the family had decided to make a wider appeal for information in advance of Christmas.

“The danger here was just unbelievable. This person needs to be caught and needs to serve a serious sentence for what they did. Fire is terrifying. What I feel is, whoever left the yard that morning, they did not know where that would end. They did not know walking out of that yard, would life be lost or what would be the final consequences.”

She asked people in the area to check their vehicle dashcams and CCTV between 3am and 7am on the morning of Saturday, November 27 for anything unusual, including businesses located in nearby towns like Portarlington, Rathangan and Edenderry.

Previously this week Lorraine told the Tullamore Tribune that she hoped the fact that the fire occurred in the early hours after the Late Late Toy Show might jog people's memory.

Lorraine said she felt someone must know something, and someone may have come home that night and a family might have had a husband or son who may have been acting suspiciously.

She said people may have overheard a conversation somewhere, or may have seen someone hanging around their farm.

Two years ago the O'Neills were named Axa farm insurance heroes of the year for their fundraising efforts for Crumlin Hospital where another of their sons, Diarmuid, was treated for long periods as a child.

They donated the €10,000 prize to the hospital and community groups in their area.

Anyone who may have seen or heard something on the night of November 26 or the morning of November 27 is asked to contact Tullamore Gardai on 057 9327600 or Edenderry Gardai Station on 046 9731290.