Rachel 'in love' with killer Joe up to brutal end - mother
But the night before the murder O'Reilly told her he was leaving
Rachel: loved killer husband Joe to the last
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Monday July 23 2007
TRAGIC Rachel O'Reilly loved her killer husband right up until he brutally bludgeoned her to death at their home, her heartbroken family said last night.
But it emerged yesterday that Joe O'Reilly - who was last night moved from Mountjoy Prison to the Midlands Prison amid fears for his safety - told Rachel the night before he killed her he was going to leave her.
In an interview with the Irish Independent, Rachel's family revealed that, despite her marital difficulties, she remained loyal to Joe until the end.
"She loved Joe. She would have looked over anything that made him look bad," Rachel's mother, Rose Callaly, said.
"I think up to the end she still loved him, but then love is blind."
Her parents said Rachel had kept them in the dark about her problems because she wanted to spare them from any hurt.
Rose fought back tears as she told how her family lived with the guilt that they "should have been there for her".
The Callalys said they did not know what would become of Rachel's sons Adam (5) and Luke (7) as their father prepares to spendyears behind bars.
The boys had been staying with their father's brother Derek, who supported Joe O'Reilly throughout his four-week murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, at his home in Derry. They were taken there temporarily, to spare them from media coverage during and after the trial.
A member of the O'Reilly family last night said the children were now being cared for by Joe's mother Ann at her home in Dunleer, Co Louth.
The Callaly and O'Reilly families could now find themselves in a legal battle to secure access and guardianship rights to their grandchildren.
Any will made out by Rachel before her death could prove critical in determining who is awarded custody of her children. Their welfare is, technically, the responsibility of the Health Services Executive pending the outcome of any court proceedings.
For now, Rachel's family are relieved to have received justice for their daughter's murder. In an emotional interview with the Irish Independent, they described the four-week trial as "agony", but said O'Reilly's conviction went a long way towards helping them to rebuild their shattered lives.
After the jury unanimously found O'Reilly guiltyof murdering his wife at their home in The Naul, Co Dublin, on October 4, 2004, exhausted members of the Callaly family struggled to contain their emotions - after four weeks of harrowing evidence.
But Rachel's brother Paul Callaly leapt to his feet and punched the air.
The cheering was soon followed by tears as the Callalys and friends of Rachel hugged and wept in the courtroom.
Some gardai also broke down in tears after the verdict was read out.
The courtroom drama was followed by jubilant scenes outside the Four Courts.
"Words cannot describe the feeling when they said 'guilty'," Rose Callaly said last night.
"I feel there are no winners in a situation like this, but the most important thing is we feel Rachel has been vindicated and that justice has been done.
Sadness
"For us it's like a load has been lifted from our shoulders, but there is still a great sadness there."
On Saturday night, Rachel's family held a private celebration at their home on Collins Avenue, Dublin.
Jim and Rose Callaly last night said they had enjoyed their first proper night's sleep since their daughter's murder almost three years ago.
Just a couple of miles down the road, O'Reilly was spending the first night of his life sentence in Mountjoy Prison.
Prison sources last night said he remained relatively calm and composed as he was being processed at the jail.
Last night he was taken to the Midlands Prison where he will serve his term alongside convicted sex offenders.
- Breda Heffernan and Dearbhail McDonald
