The Clare coroner has told the family of a murdered Ennis student that words fail to describe the horror they have been through since his death 5 years ago.
Isobel O'Dea was speaking at the inquest into the 2011 death of 21 year old Eoin Ryan, where a jury re-affirmed murder as the cause of death in the case.
In June 2013, 35 year old Joseph Heffernan was found guilty of Mr Ryan's murder at his home at Cappaghbeg, Barefield on June 7th 2011 by a jury at the Central Criminal Court.
The law student died of extensive head injuries sustained during an assault by Mr. Heffernan, who claimed Mr. Ryan had "come onto" him even though he wasn't gay, after meeting in an Ennis bar earlier that night.
At the inquest, Det Garda Claire O’Shaughnessy gave evidence how she received a call from Joe Heffernan where he told her killed a man.
He told her that he didn’t mean to kill thim and that he was crying throughout the phone call.
Gardai were immediately despatched to the Heffernan home and later, were led across a field where they were shown Eoin Ryan’s body inside of a barrel.
In her evidence, State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy said Mr Ryan was the victim of a violent and sustained assault.
At the conclusion of the inquest, investigating Garda, Inspector Tom Kennedy told members of the Ryan family he hoped they could go on and re-build their lives even though "Eoin can never be replaced".
