Tragic tributes to ‘fantastic lady’ who just became grandmother after she’s killed by husband in Clare murder suicide

A COMMUNITY has been rocked by "numbness and disbelief" after a woman was killed by her husband who then took his own life. 

The bodies of well known married couple, Joe and Claire Collins, who were in their early 50s and have two adult daughters, were found at their home at Kilnaboy on Thursday afternoon.

It is understood the alarm was raised by a family friend. 

Husband Joe, 54, was found outside the property in the Burren ­village of Kilnaboy.

His wife, 51, was discovered inside the bungalow.

The rural area was said to be united in shock tonight.

One local said: “There is total sadness around the place.”

Another added: “People don’t know what to say to each other. I knew the daughters, they were very nice. One of the daughters had a baby recently.

“It is sad now the grandparents are suddenly gone. I’m still in shock to hear the sad news. Everyone is in shock and will be in shock for a long time.” 

The Garda investigation into their deaths continued today as Assistant State Pathology, Dr Margot Bolster carried out a post mortem on the remains of the two at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

Claire Collins worked as Manager of the Burren Centre in the nearby Burren village of Kilfenora while her husband, Joe worked at a busy butcher’s retail outlet in Ennis.

Fine Gael Cllr Joe Garrihy worked with Claire on a steering group for a regeneration project for the Burren Centre in Kilfenora.

He said: "Like everyone in the community, the staff at the Burren Centre are devastated by the tragedy.

"There is a numbness and and a disbelief here in north Clare today. 

"I have to pinch myself - did it really happen? They are beautiful families involved across the board. It is just a terrible, terrible unimaginable tragedy.”

'FANTASTIC LADY'

Cllr Garrihy said: "Claire was a fantastic lady and I would have worked intensely with her when she became Manager of the Burren Centre in Kilfenora undertaking the regeneration of the Burren Centre in Kilfenora."

He said: ";She was a lovely person to work with and committed beyond belief to the project.

"It was a new job for her and she took it on with a very positive and enthusiastic frame of mind."

Cllr Garrihy said: “This is just an awful tragedy for her family and for everyone involved. 

"Claire was an incredibly resilient person and was able to deal with the challenges in the project and great to work with people. 

"She was a very professional and a very capable person and always built a good relationship with everyone around her.”

'PROFOUND SHOCK' IN COMMUNITY

And local Fianna Fail councillor Joe Killeen told how the north Clare area had been plunged into “disbelief”. 

He declared: “There is profound shock that such a tragedy should come to our door.”

Joe Collins was a cyclist and a leading member of the Ennis based Dolmen Cycling Club.

In a statement on the cycling club’s Facebook page on Friday, the club offered their sympathy to the family and friends of the couple.

It read: "On behalf of Dolmen Cycling Club and the wider cycling community in Clare and beyond we announce the untimely deaths of our club member Joe Collins and his wife Claire at their home in Kilnaboy our deepest sympathies go out to the immediate family and friends of the Collins family."

Cops urged anyone with info to contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 684 8100. 

• Anyone can contact Samaritans for free, any time from any phone on 116 123 — even on a mobile without credit. Or email jo@samaritans.ie