Devastated Donegal man Andrew McGinley says he believes his children would still be alive today if there were greater transparency in mental health services for his wife.
Today is the fourth anniversary of the murder of Conor (9), Darragh (7) and Carla (3) McGinley in their Dublin home.
The children were killed by their mother Deirdre Morley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity at a trial in 2021.
Their dad Andrew, who is originally from Donegal Town, said he was unaware of the severity of his wife’s mental illness.
During the trial, expert medical witnesses told the jury that Deirdre Morley had suffered from a depressive illness that had worsened in the months before the tragic night. She had become psychotic.
Andrew told the Irish Mirror: “The children would be alive today if I was fully informed, fully advised and fully supported.”
He said that a HSE review into Ms Morley’s care lacked detail and that he was disappointed by the recommendations.
“Deirdre was raising concerns about being a parent, about being around the children and I believe at one stage she said to her clinician she didn’t feel safe around the children,” Andrew said.
Andrew believes that, as a co-parent, he should have been informed about his wife’s thoughts.
“I’m fighting for the right of a co-parent to be fully informed, fully advised, and fully supported.”
Andrew continues to honour the lives of his beloved children in special ways. In the aftermath of their deaths, he set up three separate projects to celebrate Conor, Darragh and Carla.
Conor has been commemorated through a YouTube channel full of clips of the children. For Darragh, a charity has been set up to encourage everyone to get involved more in their own communities and to participate … As Darragh Did. The charity will host a ‘Walking the Walk’ fundraiser from Mullingar to Maynooth in April. For Carla, Andrew promised to build a snowman but due to the lack of snow each year, he turned that promise into a colouring competition called Snowman for Carla in her name.
“I know they wouldn’t want me to be sad. So I try to live positively,” he said.
Read more: https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/dad-three-children-killed-mum-31948045