Lines of Enquiry

In this, Lines of Enquiry’s inaugural ‘Case Notes’, John Sweetman introduces a new strand of his hit true crime podcast series. Stepping away from any one specific case in detail and instead revisiting past investigations and responding to listener questions, John takes us behind the scenes of Lines of Enquiry. This first episode of ‘Case Notes' is also the last in Season 1 of Lines of Enquiry. Reflecting on his first season, John is in conversation with Darren Cleary, creator of Lines of Enquiry and Head of Digital Audio at Bauer Media, who hears all about Season 2, which goes out on January 6th, 2026, with further 'Case Notes' also on the way. Remember, you can contact the show at [email protected]

When Anne O'Sullivan was diagnosed with terminal cancer, tensions within her family about who would inherit her substantial plot of farm land came to the surface.Soon, Anne would find herself awake before dawn, running through fields and ditches to a neighbour's house to get help as a terrible darkness descended on the family farm. This is a tragic story that saw a family torn apart as their home became consumed by fear and threats of violence towards Anne and her eldest son, Mark. Those rising tensions would lead to the most unfathomable and shocking moment of hatred and rage.In this episode of Lines of Enquiry, John tracks the descent into violence and revisits his case notes on the letters that proved crucial to any understanding of events of that tragic day.Presented by John SweetmanCreated by Darren ClearyEpisode Written by Eoin BrennanScript Edited by John SweetmanResearch by Siobhan Maguire & Eoin BrennanExecutive Produced by Eoin BrennanExecutive Produced by Ruth FitzsimonsProduced by Siobhan WalshProduced by Siobhan MaguireSound Design and Editing by Neil KavanaghAudio Editing Support by Ed SmithMarketing Support by Bríd Walsh and Róisín ReillySocial Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn ReeArtwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

On St Patrick’s weekend 2024, 23-year-old Kelly Lynch travelled from her home in Armagh to Monaghan to support her boyfriend after a sudden death in his family. Two nights later, on the walk home from the pub in the town, on the Friday night of a busy bank holiday, Kelly disappeared.She was found in the Ulster Canal on the Sunday morning. Gardaí said Kelly had drowned and quickly confirmed they were not treating her death as suspicious. But as the details emerged, her family were left with devastating questions.In this episode of Lines of Enquiry, John Sweetman follows Kelly’s final movements, the contradictions at the heart of the investigation, and the campaign led by a family desperate for answers. Presented by John SweetmanCreated by Darren ClearyEpisode Written by Darren ClearyScript Edited by Eoin BrennanProduced by Siobhan WalshProduced by Siobhan MaguireExecutive Produced by Eoin BrennanExecutive Produced by Ruth FitzsimonsSound Design and Editing by Neil KavanaghAudio Editing Support by Ed SmithMarketing Support by Bríd Walsh and Róisín ReillySocial Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn ReeArtwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

The prime suspect walks free for the murder of Nora Sheehan after the death of the pathologist left the DPP's case unable to proceed to trial. In this second chapter of a two-part investigation, John Sweetman looks at how four decades after Nora Sheehan’s disappearance and death in 1981, advances in forensic technology breathed new life into a long-dormant investigation. In this episode, we explore how preserved evidence from fibres and paint fragments to a partial DNA profile was re-examined by investigators as as long-preserved traces ignite a renewed hunt for answers. Presented by John SweetmanCreated by Darren ClearyEpisode Written by Darren ClearyScript Edited by Eoin BrennanExecutive Produced by Eoin BrennanExecutive Produced by Ruth FitzsimonsProduced by Siobhan WalshProduced by Siobhan MaguireSound Design and Editing by Neil KavanaghAudio Editing Support by Ed SmithMarketing Support by Bríd Walsh and Róisín ReillySocial Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn ReeArtwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

In June 1981, Nora Sheehan left the South Infirmary Hospital in Cork and disappeared into the night. In the hours that followed, she was seen by witnesses walking alone after midnight, a familiar figure on dark roads and quiet streets.Days later, her battered body was discovered dumped in woodland far from the city. Her murder shocked Cork and marked the beginning of a case that would stretch across generations.In this opening chapter of a two-part investigation, John Sweetman reconstructs Nora’s final movements, the witness sightings after midnight, and the immediate aftermath of her disappearance. What emerges is the story of a vulnerable woman who vanished in plain sight and a killing that would become one of Ireland’s longest-running cold cases.Presented by John SweetmanCreated by Darren ClearyEpisode Written by Darren ClearyScript Edited by Eoin BrennanExecutive Produced by Eoin BrennanExecutive Produced by Ruth FitzsimonsProduced by Siobhan WalshProduced by Siobhan MaguireSound Design and Editing by Neil KavanaghAudio Editing Support by Ed SmithMarketing Support by Bríd Walsh and Róisín ReillySocial Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn ReeArtwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree