How Padraig Nally's manslaughter case divided the nation

Last week, Mayo farmer Padraig Nally, the man who was jailed for less than a year for the manslaughter of an intruder in his home near Lough Corrib in 2004, died. He was 81 years of age.

Two decades ago, his shooting of John ‘Frog’ Ward became one of the most divisive murder cases in Ireland. Nally was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for the manslaughter of Ward. However, his conviction was quashed in a retrial when he was found not guilty of manslaughter.

It was a case that divided opinion across the country. Nally argued self-defence, saying “there was only one way out of it: it had to be him, or it had to be me”.

What exactly happened in November 2004, why was Nally’s initial conviction quashed and why are people still speaking about this case 20 years later?

Mick Clifford, special correspondent with The Irish Examiner who covered Nally’s case at the time joins the podcast.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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