John Carthy - Background

Background

John Carthy was born the only son of John and Rose Carthy on 9 October 1972. He had one sister, Marie, who was two years his junior. He was an avid Handballer and member of Abbeylara Handball Club. His father, with whom he was very close, died on 12 April 1990. In 1992 John was diagnosed with clinical depression and, subsequently with bipolar affective disorder. John's general employment was in the construction industry. He resided with his mother in an old, three-bedroom house in Toneymore, Abbeylara. She and John were due to move from this old house to a new home which had been built on their land by Longford County Council as part of a rural housing scheme. The old house was due to be demolished. On 19 April 2000, the day prior to his death, John stayed in the family home all day with his mother. His mother's testimony to the Barr Tribunal indicated that John was very hostile to the move and that this was the primary topic of their discussions that day.

Like many people in the countryside, John Carthy was the legal owner of a double barrel shotgun, in this case a Russian-made Baikal model 43M. He was also in possession of a firearms certificate in relation to this weapon. This certificate had been of limited duration prior to November, 1998 when it was changed to an unlimited type and this was subsequently renewed on the 29 August 1999.