Deadly Silence
A Sister’s Battle to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of Clodagh and Her Sons by Alan Hawe
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Deadly Silence
Narrated by:
Sherelle Kelleher
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Narrated by:
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Sherelle Kelleher
About this listen
The heart-breaking account of a search for the truth behind the brutal killings that shocked a nation.
On 29 August 2016, devastating news hit the headlines that an entire family was found dead in a rural community. For Jacqueline Connolly, this was a deeply personal and life-shattering tragedy, as she discovered her sister Clodagh, along with her nephews Liam, Niall and Ryan, were killed by their husband and father Alan Hawe.
Here, Jacqueline discloses the circumstances leading up to these tragic events, including Hawe's manipulation and coercive control of her unsuspecting sister.
Her gripping account tells of her family's painful struggle to expose critical failures in the initial garda investigation, as they uncovered the terrible darkness behind Hawe's 'pillar-of-the-community' facade.
Jacqueline also reveals many of the shocking, unpublished findings of the recent Garda Serious Crime Review, details that challenge our understanding of domestic violence and family annihilators, while laying bare a mass murder—Ireland's largest murder-suicide—that was cold-bloodedly planned for a year in advance.
Deadly Silence is both the story of a sister's determination to find truth and justice, and an inspiring personal journey of healing from severe trauma and loss.
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I just wanted to reach out after finishing Deadly Silence. I grew up in Oldcastle — I think I was the year behind you in school. My name is Caoimhe McConnell.
I have vivid memories of you, Clodagh, and Tadhg growing up. I always knew who you were. While I’m not sure how often our paths actually crossed, you were always someone I was aware of in the background of my own growing up.
Over the years, I’ve often thought of you and your family. The losses you’ve endured are so tragic and deeply unfair. Most people are never asked to carry even one of those heartbreaks — yet it felt like you were barely given space to process one grief before being hit with another. And still, people would say to you, “I don’t know how you’re still standing” — and your reply, “I didn’t have a choice,” will stay with me forever. It says everything. You just had to keep going — and you did.
Your book is extraordinary — raw, honest, and filled with such love. I was taken aback by some of the cruel or dismissive things said to you in the aftermath, though maybe I shouldn’t have been. Seeing them laid bare made it painfully real. But there was such kindness too — the small gestures that meant everything. You’ve given readers an unfiltered, deeply valuable insight into what grief, trauma, and survival actually look like.
One thing that struck me deeply was your love for your nephews — Niall, Liam, and Ryan. The way you write about them is full of warmth, pride, and protectiveness. It’s clear how much you adored them, and how present they still are in your heart. As I was reading, I couldn’t stop thinking of Gary — and how heartbreaking it is that those beautiful boys were taken from him too. He should have had his big cousins beside him, growing up with that kind of love and mischief and connection. That loss ripples outwards in so many directions.
Your book also captures sibling grief with such clarity. It’s something that’s often overlooked — but you’ve made it impossible to ignore. You’ve shown how the grief of a sister is lifelong and deserves its place, its space, and its voice.
Despite everything you’ve been through, your spark still shines through — your personality leaps off the page. There’s such warmth, wit, and a mischievous humour that lives right alongside your honesty and your heartbreak. You feel everything deeply, but you still manage to bring light in.
Your love for Gary is beyond moving — your strength and fierce devotion to him is unmistakable in every chapter. He is so clearly your heart, and your reason, and you’ve built a beautiful life around him in the face of the unimaginable.
Your determination — to survive, to speak, to live fully as a mother, daughter, sister, friend, and woman with dreams and a voice — is inspiring. You haven’t let the world flatten or silence you. Your strength has been quiet at times, loud at others, but always unwavering.
I remember Carmel and Gerry, and their daughters, so well — my Dad used to play poker with Carmel, and of course I knew Gerry and Matty from the drapery. Reading about them brought everything home — familiar faces woven through a heartbreaking and surreal story. They seem like such incredible people, and it gave me real comfort to know that you had that kind of steady, loving family support around you. It’s clear they’ve been a quiet source of strength.
While your book understandably centres on uncovering the truth about the murder of your sister and your three beloved nephews, I couldn’t let this message pass without also acknowledging the death of your brother, Tadhg, and your husband, Richie. The pain of their loss is woven through everything, too. And beyond your personal story, the work you’ve done to raise awareness of coercive control, and of the devastating reality of familicide — what your family was subjected to — has made a real and lasting impact. Your voice has opened people’s eyes in a way that few could. That takes courage, and purpose, and immense love.
Lastly, I just want to acknowledge your mother, Mary. Her strength — walking through so much of this beside you — deserves immense recognition. I hope she knows how many people are holding her in their thoughts too.
Thank you for writing this. Thank you for your courage, and for using your voice to speak not just for your family, but for so many others who’ve felt invisible in their grief. I truly hope your dreams continue to grow and take shape, and that both you, Gary, and your mother find moments of peace, pride, and gentleness in the years ahead.
You so deserve it.
Warmest wishes,
Caoimhe McConnell
Love
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Powerful
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heartbreaking story. well written and spoken.
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Truth
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Heartbreaking
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