Dad tormented by son's last words before his wife smothered all three of their children to death

Deirdre Morley was in a state of delusion and psychosis when she killed all three of her children in 2020.

A dad whose wife tragically took the lives of their three young children has revealed he is still tormented by memories of his son's final words.

Deirdre Morley, 44, killed Conor, 9, Darragh, 7, and Carla, 3, at the family home in Dublin in 2020. She was later acquitted of murder due to being legally insane, and has since been committed to the nearby Central Mental Hospital.

On January 24, 2020, Morley descended into a state of delusion and psychosis. A court heard she intended to end her own life and take her children with her, attempting to sedate them by spiking their cereal and milk before suffocating them to death.

Conor's final words were said to be begging his mother, protesting: "Stop mammy, what are you doing?' as she put a bag over his head, which still pains dad Andrew McGinley to this day, the Mirror reports.

Heartbroken Andrew said: "With regards to Deirdre, I struggle a lot because all I really hear is Conor's last words. They echo in my mind quite a lot. So, there is no future I suppose, with myself and Dee. Things can never return to normal for either of us."

He added: "I know I've transformed completely as a person. If I can assist her treatment team or her legal team in any way, I'm more than willing to do so and she's aware of that too. [If she is released], that's their call. I'm not the expert. It's not something I've pondered on deeply. But I believe there's a path to recovery for her."

It is believed that Morley could be released after just five years if she is assessed to be mentally sound. The former nurse pleaded not guilty due to insanity at her trial in Dublin, which was backed by two consultant psychiatrists.

The court was told of her diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder type two, a recognised condition. She had previously been admitted to a psychiatric hospital for four weeks in 2019.

After her attempts to poison her children failed when they spat out the laced food, she first killed son Darragh, who was home sick from school. In conversations with police, she admitted to thinking: "I could smother him now. I could kill him now." She admitted instant regret and wanted to stop, but "couldn't leave any of them behind". After suffocating him and three-year-old Carla with tape and plastic bags, she collected Conor from school.

She suggested a game involving putting tape over their mouths and attempting to talk. When she put a bag over his head, he said: "Stop mammy, what are you doing?" but she responded, "I'm sorry Conor." Morley told the police that he hadn't struggled because she was lying on top of him.

She did admit to thinking, "I can't do this. This is awful. But also that I can't not do this" as Conor's younger siblings were already dead. She found herself unable to carry his body upstairs to rest next to Darragh and Carla.

During that fateful day, she spoke to her husband on the phone, who said he did not have any concerns about her wellbeing or behaviour. She then attempted to take her own life, driving towards a motorway with a bottle of wine and medication in the car before crashing at a roundabout.

A passing nurse took her home before she left the house for a second time and was found by a taxi driver "wandering the streets" in a "disoriented state" who took her home and phoned for an ambulance out of concern. Andrew then returned from a work trip to find the bodies of his three young children.

He also discovered a note warning him not to go upstairs, which read, "I'm sorry". Morley was taken to hospital, where she later told medics she "wished she had a time machine", the court heard.

Justice Paul Coffey confirmed the verdict was not disputed, having previously told the jury of 12: "The doctors are unanimous in their opinions that the accused was legally insane when she killed her three children." The jury were told they must be convinced, on the balance of probabilities, that she was experiencing a mental disorder at the time of the tragedy.

She was then acquitted of all charges on the grounds of insanity. Following his heartbreaking discovery, Andrew urged families to "cuddle your children whenever you can" and confessed that "every breath is a struggle".

He said at the time: "There are no words. There is only devastation, grief and anguish. Every breath is a struggle. Conor, Darragh and Carla are adored. They all had beautiful, bright futures ahead of them with family, friends and a community who love them.

"To all parents, cuddle your children whenever you get a chance, tell them how much you love them as often as you can, spend every spare minute with them reading, playing and enjoying their wonderfulness. The future has now become our enemy but we will battle it every day to keep the memory of Conor, Darragh and Carla alive."

He continued: "We often misuse words. When Ireland would lose a match, I used to say I was heartbroken. I now know what that really means. We, as a family, are heartbroken. Conor, Darragh and Carla. I love you, I love you, I love you."

Andrew has since started a YouTube channel, fulfilling a promise he made to Conor after the youngster had expressed his own desire to start a channel. "I promised to help him to do that," he said. "I hope this channel has kept my promise." During the eulogy, he revealed that he had also pledged to coach at Rathcoole Boys Football Club for Darragh, and to build a snowman for Carla, citing her love of Disney's Frozen.

Conor's Clips, which shares a series of videos in memory of his children was also set up. On his fundraising page, he wrote: "After an emotional day I'm able to let you all know that I have been able to keep my promise to Conor and we launched his YouTube channel this afternoon. A mix of happiness and sadness as so happy to have kept my promise but wish I could have done it with Conor.

"One promise down, two to go. Darragh, my course is booked for March 19th so I'm on track to keep my promise to you. Carla, I may have to borrow a snow machine!" Andrew expressed his thanks to those who have donated to the fundraiser, and said he was touched by their 'beautiful messages'.

He said: "I'm honestly humbled by all your messages and the sentiments within. What you may not realise is how much your messages mean to me and I thank you all."

The heartwarming collection of clips featured the three children playing during 'sleepy time', re-enacting a scene from the Lion King in their garden, and enjoying a game of charades. Carla is in awe at snowmen in one video, while Darragh tries out news broadcasting in another.

The grieving dad later reached out to the public, asking them to write letters to him as he found the loneliness of lockdown a struggle. He shared on social media: 'I'm looking for a favour. I'm struggling with isolation like you all but really missing the company. I was also enjoying most of the letters that I received so I have a request. Can you write to me? If you feel like using one of postcards then great. Letters welcome.'