Warm tributes paid to Aidan as killer is jailed

The jailing for life of Yousef Palani for the murder of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee in Sligo last year has been widely welcomed.

Palani murdered Mr Moffitt, aged 41, and Mr Snee, aged 58, on April 10 and April 12, 2022, respectively and also seriously assaulted a third man, Anthony Burke, in Sligo town. He received two life terms in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin last Tuesday. 

Mr Moffitt, who was from Lisacul in Co Roscommon, attended St Nathy's College in Ballaghaderreen and was well-known and popular in the west Roscommon area. 

Sinn Féin Cllr Michael Mulligan, who owns a hardware store in Ballaghaderreen, said he hoped the jailing of Palani would give the Moffitt family some semblance of peace.

"Aidan used to come shopping with his mother in our shop here and he was very good to his mother," he said. "People are glad that justice has been served. It was frightful to think that a good man was attacked like that at his home in a reasonably small town like Sligo."

Cllr Mulligan said the violent and senseless killings should not have happened and it was a good thing Palani, aged 23, was caught as he could have killed even more innocent people.

Meanwhile, Fr Noel Rooney, who is the parish priest at St Joseph’s Church in Ballytivnan in Co Sligo, knew Aidan as a child when he was based in Lisacul in the 1980s.

"I'm sure there is a sense of relief that it [the court process] has finished and I assume the Moffitt family are glad they didn't have to listen to the harrowing evidence," Fr Rooney added.

Speaking on behalf of the Moffitt family, solicitor William Henry said the family wanted to ensure that Mr Moffitt was remembered for “the great person he was, and not for the events that tragically ended his life”.

“Aidan had a smile and personality that lit up the world. His caring, generous and fun-loving nature made him a beloved presence in his family and friends’ lives,” he said. “Known for being a charismatic character in his community, Aidan’s wit, charm and storytelling abilities brought joy to those around him. Family was so important to Aidan and he was the best son he could be to his mother over the years.” 

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also paid tribute to Mr Moffitt and Mr Snee, adding that he had known Mr Moffitt through his work as a Fine Gael activist in counties Sligo and Leitrim over the years.