User:rorynoonanDate:18/02/2013Time:11:11:13Edition:18/02/2013Monmonecho180213Page:1Color:

S e r v i n g C o r k f o r 1 2 0 y e a r s

EE - V1

EDITION NO. 34,838MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 RRP: e1.50

18.02.13

Recommendedretail price

€1.50

TONIGHT

WEATHER F

L: 4°CScatteredshowers

Winds: SE at8-16 mph

REGIONAL

Forensic experts at the fire damagedhouse at Pembroke Crescent, PassageWest, in which Olivia Dunlea-O’Brien died.A murder investigation has been launchedfollowing the fire. Picture: Des Barry

Fire victimwas stabbed

Mulvihill worried about future of Labour

By ANN MURPHYSecurity Correspondent and

By PADRAIG HOARE IN PASSAGE

THE mother-of-three founddead after a fire in her PassageWest home is understood tohave been stabbed before a firewas deliberately started in thehouse.The home of Olivia Dunlea-O’Brien

at Pembroke Crescent in Passage Westremained sealed off this morning asgardaí mounted a murder investiga-tion following her tragic death.

A man was being questioned atTogher garda station after being arres-ted in Passage West at 11pm last nighton suspicion of murdering the mum ather home in the early hours of yester-day morning.Her death came after she returned

from a night out with friends in thenearby Rochestown Inn on Saturdaynight.Her three children — two boys and a

girl aged between nine and 12 — livedwith her, but were staying with theirfather from whom she was separated,on Saturday night. Neighbours raisedthe alarm when they saw a blaze inOlivia’s home after 1am yesterday butdid not realise she was in the house atthe time.Her body was discovered by fire

fighters in an upstairs room.● See pages two and three for more.

Passage home sealed off asgardaí launch murder inquiry

A LABOUR PARTY stalwart has warnedthat they face a hammering at nextyear’s local elections — and said it couldalready be too late to avoid an electionmeltdown.Cork county councillor John Mulvihill, amember of the Labour Party for morethan 40 years said: “Every morning youwake up and say, ‘not again’. All I hear is

‘cut, cut, cut’ from Labour ministers. FineGael has taken all the positiveannouncements and Labour is left in theportfolios with all the cuts.”With Labour collapsing in the opinionpolls, he said the 2014 local electionscould be a disaster unless the leadership

started to listen to the grassroots.“We’re going to get hammered if wedon’t pick things up. I’m wondering if it isalready too late. That’s where the Labourleadership comes in. I’ve often said theLabour Party finishes at Newlands Crossin Dublin. The hierarchy of the partyforget about what’s happening down the● Continued on page two.

By RONAN BAGNALL