Parents of murdered Irish woman Kirsty Ward speak out “People need to know his name”

Tonight, on RTÉ Prime Time at 9:35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player

Tonight, Prime Time will feature an interview with the parents of Kirsty Ward, the Irish woman who was murdered by her Irish partner in Spain in July 2023. Her family speaks about the sentence imposed on her killer, the early red flags in their daughters’ relationship and the impact of her death on her teenage son. 

Kirsty Ward, a 36-year-old mother of one, was murdered by Keith Byrne in a hotel room in Salou, Spain, in July 2023.  Byrne was convicted of murder by a Spanish jury and sentenced last year to 15 years in prison.

Speaking to presenter Miriam O’Callaghan, Ms Ward’s parents, Jackie and John, said they never believed their daughter’s life was in danger, despite unease about the relationship in the months before her death. Jackie Gough, Kirsty’s mother said, “I thought maybe he’d break her heart…I never thought for one moment that she was in danger.”

In the interview to be broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, Jackie and John recall the day they found out Kirsty had died. John was home alone, recovering from open-heart surgery. Jackie was out with their youngest daughter, Zoe.

“As soon as I arrived, it was obvious there was something wrong,” Jackie says. Jackie remembers seeing the two plain-clothes Garda officers and knowing what had happened. “I said, ‘What has he done?’” she recalls. “I knew.”

In the programme airing tonight, Kirsty’s parents speak about the lasting impact of her daughter’s death on their family, the pain caused by the court outcome and their determination to ensure that Kirsty’s life and the circumstances of her death are not diminished. Part of the reason Jackie and John agreed to speak publicly was to raise awareness of the warning signs of coercive and controlling behaviour.

“He’s going to return home at some point to this country when his sentence is finished and complete. He’s going to take up a job. He’s going to take up a relationship,” Jackie says. “People need to know Keith Byrne’s name and how dangerous he is.” 

Kirsty’s father John added “This is what we’re dealing with here. This is another Joe O’Reilly. This is another (Richard) Satchwell. Same character traits. And all of that came out in the court”.

Watch the full Prime Time tonight January 8, at 9:35pm RTÉ One and RTÉ Player and read the online report on RTÉ.ie/primetime.

-ENDS- 

Sharon Sorohan, RTÉ Senior Communications Lead