Search Results - Aisling Murphy

Murder of Ashling Murphy

Ashling Murphy (6 July 1998 – 12 January 2022) was an Irish primary school teacher, traditional Irish musician, and camogie player who was murdered in January 2022 while walking on the towpath of the Grand Canal at Cappincur, outside Tullamore, County Offaly. Her death gave rise to widespread public grief, as well as outrage over violence against women, and tens of thousands of people attended vigils in her memory. The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, and other Irish government ministers attended her funeral in Mountbolus, County Offaly, on 18 January.

Following Murphy's death, the Garda Síochána (Irish police) questioned 31-year-old Slovak Romani father-of-five Jozef Puška, who was arrested and charged with her murder. During his trial at Dublin's Central Criminal Court from 16 October to 9 November 2023, the jury heard evidence that he had attacked Murphy and dragged her off the towpath into an adjacent ditch, where he stabbed her multiple times in the neck with a serrated knife. Found guilty by unanimous verdict, Puška was sentenced to life imprisonment. Five of Puška's family members were charged with obstructing the investigation and prosecution. In June 2025, following another trial at the Central Criminal Court, his two brothers were convicted of withholding information from Gardaí, while their wives were convicted of destroying evidence. Puška's wife pleaded guilty in pre-trial hearings to withholding information from Gardaí. Murphy's boyfriend Ryan Casey brought a defamation lawsuit against the BBC over comments made about him by journalist Kitty Holland on a November 2023 BBC Northern Ireland current affairs programme. In July 2025, the BBC settled out of court, reportedly paying Casey substantial damages and a six-figure sum in legal costs.

To commemorate Murphy, her family established the Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund, a registered charity that supports the traditional Irish arts, culture, and heritage for young people. Mary Immaculate College—Murphy's alma mater—and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation jointly established the Ashling Murphy Memorial Entrance Scholarship, awarded annually to a first-year Bachelor of Education student who exhibits exceptional achievement and talent in traditional Irish music. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann also established memorial scholarships, and the Camogie Association renamed championship trophies in her memory. A permanent memorial has been constructed at the site of her murder. Provided by Wikipedia