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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Kieran Quilligan. Two men sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Kieran Quilligan A jury of ten men and two women found Luke Taylor and Niall Long guilty of the murder of Mr Quilligan last week following a three-week trial. 2.21pm, 29 Oct 2025 Share options TWO MEN HAVE been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a man whose skeletal remains were found in a jute bag in scrubland in east Cork. A jury of ten men and two women found Luke Taylor (28) and Niall Long (33) guilty of the murder of Kieran Quilligan last week following a three-week trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork. Kieran Quilligan (47) was missing for five months when his remains were found in a ravine at Whitewell, Rostellan on 29 January 2024. He had suffered nineteen broken bones after being attacked with fists and a hammer-like object. Gardaí had brought a PSNI cadaver dog to an area of interest to the investigation in east Cork where they discovered the remains in a one tonne gravel bag. At a sentencing hearing in Cork today, Stephen Quilligan, father of the late Kieran Quilligan, said that the two perpetrators, whom he referred to as “monsters”, would never be forgiven for what they had done. Mr Quilligan said that he knew that there was foul play involved when his son disappeared without trace on 1 September 2023. “It all started for us two years ago and it has been a nightmare of our family ever since. We want to thank the gardaí who never gave up. They said they would bring Kieran home and they did,” he said. “Due to the nature of this case, any time we asked what was going on, the gardaí could not tell us. We were told when the case would come up in court, everything would come out. “We were hearing what really went on for the first time and were shocked, angry and in disbelief that someone could do this to another person and pretend like nothing happened.” Mr Quilligan said that it was beyond difficult to listen to the “horror stories” that emerged over the course of the trial. He said that the defendants didn’t show “one bit of remorse” for murdering his son. He added that Kieran was a “loving son, brother and uncle” before thanking the gardaí and the prosecution team for treating Kieran “like a human being.” ‘I will never forgive them’ Catherine O’Flynn, the mother of Kieran Quilligan, said he was “adored” by his family. “Kieran had the biggest heart you ever seen. His birthday, 13 July 2023, was the last time I saw Kieran. If I had known what was going to happen I would never have left him leave the house,” she said. “I will never forgive them (Niall Long and Luke Taylor) for what they have put our family through.” Colette O’Driscoll, the partner of Kieran Quilligan, said that he left their home on 1 September 2023 and she never saw him again. Advertisement “Niall Long and Luke Taylor stole my future with the man I loved, adored and cherished.” She said that herself and Kieran were set to move in to their forever home when he was violently taken from this world. “Kieran was going to get the keys to his long awaited castle. Now unfortunately Kieran will never get the keys to his castle.” Whilst sentencing Luke Taylor and Niall Long to mandatory life imprisonment, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford praised gardaí for the “exemplary” manner in which they carried out their comprehensive investigation. ‘Egregious circumstances’ She said that the perpetrators might well have never been found other than for the enormous work of investigating gardaí. She also paid tribute to members of the Quilligan family for the manner in which they had conducted themselves in “difficult circumstances.” Ms Justice Lankford added that Kieran Quilligan was taken from this world in the “most egregious circumstances.” At the start of the sentencing hearing today, the coordinator of the Garda investigation, Det Garda Ann O’Sullivan of the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork, said that the two men subjected Kieran Quilligan to a “significant and sustained assault” on 1 September 2023. They then bundled him in to the boot of a car and brought him to a farmyard in Little Island. His body was then moved to the scrubland in Rostellan. She detailed the extensive harvesting of CCTV in the case which led gardaí to find the body of Kieran Quilligan and determine the identity of his killers. During the trial Prosecution senior counsel, Donal O’Sullivan, told the jury that the “instigating factor” for the murder was Kieran Quilligan stealing drugs and cash from Niall Long on 1 September 2023. Meanwhile, in the course of the trial the jurors heard evidence from Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster who carried out a postmortem examination on the late Kieran Quilligan. Dr Bolster indicated that an exact cause of death could not be established because decomposition had led to the loss of organs. However, she stated that what was not at doubt was that the injuries suffered by Kieran Quilligan were consistent with a “severe assault.” Those injuries included fractures to his ribs, leg and hand bones, jaw bones and skull. Dr Bolster said whilst the remains were skeletonised there was a small piece of skin remaining which consisted of a tattoo with the word “Mother” and a date. The skull was separate from the body and there was a large amount of silt and vegetation. Father-of-two Niall Long is formerly of St Michael’s Close in Mahon in Cork, whilst Luke Taylor is previously of Cherry Lawn in Blackrock in Cork. Kieran Quilligan was living with his partner in Simon Community housing in Cork city at the time of his death. Olivia Kelleher Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Two men sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Kieran Quilligan”. 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