Martin Conmey with his wife, Ann

Conmey's conviction a miscarriage of justice

Ratoath man, Martin Conmey’s conviction for the killing of Una Lynskey in 1971, was a miscarriage of justice, the Court of Criminal Appeal declared today.
The Meath man who fought for over forty years to clear his name had his conviction for the manslaughter of his 19 year old neighbour declared a miscarriage of justice at the appeal court by Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman, sitting with Mr Justice Brian McGovern.
Mr Conmey had served a three year sentence for manslaughter in the 1970’s, but in 2010, 38 years after he had been jailed, he was acquitted of the killing. 
Mr Conmey and his friend Dick Donnelly were convicted of Ms Lynskey’s manslaughter in July 1972.
A third man, Martin Kerrigan, who was also suspected of having been involved in Ms Lynskey’s death, was abducted and killed by Ms Lynskey’s brothers, Sean and James Lynskey and her cousin, John Gaughan nine days after her body was discovered.
Mr Donnelly won his appeal against his conviction in 1973 but Mr Conmey’s conviction was upheld and he served three years in jail. 
Una Lynskey, who was working as a civil servant in Dublin, disappeared less than half a mile from her home on Porterstown Lane in Ratoath on 12 October 1971. 
Her body was discovered two months later near Tibradden in the Dublin Mountains. The cause of her death has never been determined.
In November 2010, the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned Martin Conmey’s conviction .