Woman (80s) found dead in Co Waterford named locally

Olivia Kelleher

A woman in her 80s who was found dead at a house in Waterford has been named locally as Noreen Daly.

Gardaí were alerted to the discovery of the body of the widow at a property in Ardsallagh near Youghal Bridge on Monday afternoon.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, which was preserved for forensic examination.

Her body was taken to University Hospital in Waterford where a postmortem examination will be carried out.

The results of the postmortem will determine the course of the investigation.

A man in his 30s has been detained for questioning in connection with the death of Daly.

He is being held at a Garda Station in Dungarvan under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. It is understood he may have been known to the deceased.

In an update on social media, Waterford Sinn Fein TD Conor McGuinness said his thoughts were with the deceased and her loved ones at this sad time.

He asked that her family be given time and space to "come to terms with her loss."

Noreen, whose maiden name was Murphy, was predeceased by her husband Michael (Mike) who died in November 2023. He was a native of Monkstown in Dublin. The couple did not have children.

Meanwhile, a Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation, and an incident room has been established at Dungarvan Garda Station. A Garda Family Liaison Officer has also been appointed to support the family of the deceased.

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses, in particular those who were in the Ardsallagh or Youghal Bridge areas in recent days.

Road users with camera footage, including dashcam recordings from the area, are also urged to come forward. Checkpoints were in operation in the area last night.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dungarvan Garda Station at 058 848600 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.

Gardaí say investigations are ongoing.