Humble pub at the heart of a deadly plot
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Thursday July 10 2008
WHEN Robert and Niall Howard entered Kilkee's cosy Greyhound bar in Kilkee each weekend, they would hardly have imagined that the humble pub was the intended setting for their brutal assassinations.
For if Sharon Collins' bizarre plot had gone to plan, it would have been here that the two heirs to her partner's fortune would have met their deaths, poisoned by ricin mixed into drinks as they socialised.
With a passion for boating, Robert (29) and Niall (25) owned a holiday home in the seaside town and regularly finished off their weekend activities with long evenings with friends in the popular old-style bar .
But since the extraordinary events of 2006, a very unwelcome spotlight has been visited upon the humble establishment.
"If it had happened, there'd be two friends of mine dead on the floor, it's awful to think about it," said one local.
On the surface, the brothers enjoyed a low-key but comfortable lifestyle. They enjoyed the security of working in their father's company. And with health problems forcing PJ to step back from the business, Robert and Niall were being groomed to take over.
In September 2006, as Sharon Collins was crafting her devious plan to get rid of the Howard family, Robert and Niall were living together outside Ennis.
well-heeled
Robert's house was in a well-heeled area and included an apartment for Niall.
Niall drove a modest BMW, while Robert had a robust Land Rover. And with a short commute to work, there was also plenty of time for having fun.
They sometimes held parties at the weekends, by all accounts very sociable affairs with all the neighbours invited. One neighbour recalled: "They'd always wave when they were going in or out to work. There has never been a bit of bother with them."
Those who know the men were also aware of the friendly relationship they enjoyed with their father's partner. And the revelations of Collins' plot to kill the three people she supposedly loved have been greeted with widespread shock by people in the area.
Admitted one acquaintance: "It's not what you expect around here."
- Aoife Finneran
