Ireland Case No. 0122Manslaughter · Co. Westmeath · 13 Aug 2022
Man sentenced for manslaughter in Athlone stag night killing
Paul 'Babs' Connolly, 48, from Edenderry, Co Offaly, was assaulted for 21 minutes along Church Street in Athlone, Co Westmeath, in the early hours of 13 August 2022 during a stag night, and died in an ambulance en route to hospital. Seán Munnelly, 40, of Irishtown, Athlone, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in June 2026, just before a jury was to be empanelled for a planned four-week trial. He was sentenced on 16 October 2026 at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court to seven years, with the final six months suspended for one year, backdated to 27 February 2024. Co-accused David Higgins, 18 at the time of the attack, was jailed for one year in December 2023 for assault causing harm and violent disorder.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted1 Jun
2 reports - Sentenced16 Oct
4 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Paul Connolly was assaulted for 21 minutes with repeated punches and kicks during a stag night in Athlone.
- Where
- The assault took place along Church Street in Athlone, Co Westmeath.
- When
- The incident occurred in the early hours of 13 August 2022.
- Cause
- A postmortem found Connolly died of cardiac arrest resulting from blunt force trauma to the head in a setting of acute intoxication and the emotional stress of the protracted assault.
- Investigation
- The attack was captured by CCTV cameras and Gardaí harvested footage from the vicinity.
- Charges
- Seán Munnelly, 40 (reports also give 37 and 39), of Irishtown, Athlone, originally from Co Roscommon, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in June 2026.
- In court
- The plea was heard at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Cephas Power, and sentencing was heard before Judge Deirdre Browne.
- Sentence
- Munnelly was sentenced to seven years on 16 October 2026, with the final six months suspended for one year, backdated to 27 February 2024.
- David Higgins, 18 at the time of the attack, of St Paul's Terrace, Athlone, was jailed for one year in December 2023 for assault causing harm and violent disorder.
- Other details
- Munnelly had 102 previous convictions and was on bail and a suspended sentence at the time of the incident.
- Connolly's earlier remarks about child pornography were described as the catalyst that triggered the confrontation.
- All parties to the assault had been intoxicated.
75 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA man pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Paul “Babs” Connolly. (thejournal.ie)
- whatThe attack took place during a stag night. (gript.ie)
- whatConnolly was set on and attacked with repeated punches and kicks. (irishtimes.com)
- whatConnolly died in an ambulance on the way to hospital. (irishtimes.com)
- whatVideo evidence showed Connolly was knocked to the ground three times by Munnelly and a co-accused. (rte.ie)
- whatMunnelly was seen back-slapping and shaking hands with members of Connolly's stag party before continuing to confront him. (rte.ie)
- whatThe final video showed Munnelly delivering a left-handed punch to the right side of the victim's head, rendering him unconscious. (rte.ie)
- whatConnolly died in an ambulance en route to the hospital. (rte.ie)
- whatA witness overheard Munnelly saying 'F***ing deserved it, no one pisses me off' as he walked away. (rte.ie)
- whatThe child pornography remark was the catalyst that triggered Munnelly and co-accused David Higgins, who confronted Connolly violently first. (rte.ie)
- whatA woman who was a nurse tried to revive Connolly and performed CPR, but he never regained consciousness. (rte.ie)
- whatCCTV footage showed the attack continued over 30 metres with Connolly attempting to fend off the two men while receiving several kicks and punches. (rte.ie)
- whereMr Connolly was seriously injured on Church Street in Athlone, Co. Westmeath. (thejournal.ie)
- whereThe killing occurred on Church Street, Athlone, on 13 August 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe assault took place along Church Street in Athlone, Co Westmeath. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe death happened on Church Street in Athlone. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe incident happened at a stag party in Athlone. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe injuries were suffered in the early hours of 13 August 2022. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe incident happened over four years before the sentencing. (gript.ie)
- whenThe assault took place in the early hours of August 13th, 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe assault lasted 21 minutes along Church Street in Athlone in the early hours of 13 August 2022. (rte.ie)
- whenConnolly died in the early hours of August 13th, 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- causeAnother man had initially attacked Mr Connolly with kicks and blows. (thejournal.ie)
- causeMunnelly allegedly followed Mr Connolly and struck him. (thejournal.ie)
- causeA postmortem found Connolly died of cardiac arrest from blunt force trauma to the head, intoxication and the stress of the assault. (irishtimes.com)
- causeConnolly's earlier remarks to people on the street were described as the catalyst for the assault. (irishtimes.com)
- causePost-mortem found death was caused by cardiac arrest resulting from a complex interaction of blunt force trauma to the head, in a setting of acute intoxication and the emotional stress of the protracted assault. (rte.ie)
- causeConnolly fell on three occasions during physical altercations involving punches and kicks. (irishtimes.com)
- causeThe pathologist found the cause of death was a cardiac arrest following mild blunt force trauma to the head. (irishtimes.com)
- causeThe judge described the final punch by Munnelly as unprovoked and entirely unwarranted. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí harvested CCTV footage from the vicinity. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationThe attack was captured by CCTV cameras. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeSean Munnelly was charged with the unlawful killing of the victim. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeMunnelly pleaded guilty to manslaughter. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeSean Munnelly, 40, of Irishtown, Athlone, originally from Co Roscommon, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. (rte.ie)
- chargeMunnelly was sentenced for the manslaughter of Paul 'Babs' Connolly. (irishtimes.com)
- courtMunnelly pleaded guilty before Judge Cephas Power at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court. (thejournal.ie)
- courtJudge Power adjourned the case until 6 October for facts and sentencing. (thejournal.ie)
- courtMunnelly was remanded in continuing custody and a victim impact statement was ordered. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe plea was heard at Mullingar Circuit Court before Judge Cephas Power. (irishtimes.com)
- courtMunnelly's sentencing is set for 6 October 2026. (irishtimes.com)
- courtCounsel for Munnelly said good-quality CCTV footage would be examined at the sentencing hearing and asked for two hours to be set aside. (irishtimes.com)
- courtMunnelly was sentenced at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- courtSentencing took place at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Deirdre Browne. (rte.ie)
- courtMunnelly changed his plea to guilty in June, just as a jury was about to be empanelled for an anticipated four-week trial. (rte.ie)
- courtThe offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and the DPP's position was a sentence of between four and ten years. (rte.ie)
- courtThe sentence was handed down at Mullingar Circuit Court. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe killer was handed a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence. (gript.ie)
- sentenceMunnelly was given a seven-year sentence. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe final six months of the sentence were suspended for one year. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe sentence was backdated to February 27th, 2024, to account for time served on remand. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceJudge Browne imposed a seven-year sentence and suspended the final six months for one year, backdating the sentence to 27 February 2024. (rte.ie)
- sentenceIn December 2023, David Higgins, 18 at the time of the attack, of St Paul's Terrace, Athlone, was jailed for one year after pleading guilty to assault causing harm and violent disorder. (rte.ie)
- sentenceMunnelly received a sentence of seven years, with the final six months suspended. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceMunnelly was jailed for six-and-a-half years. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe judge placed the offending in the four- to 10-year band for unlawful killing. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe judge suspended the final six months of Munnelly's sentence for one year to allow rehabilitation. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceDavid Higgins was previously jailed for one year for assault causing harm to Connolly and engaging in violent disorder. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe incident had two sections, minutes apart. (thejournal.ie)
- otherConnolly died while taking part in a stag party. (irishtimes.com)
- otherJudge Keenan Johnson described the attack as reprehensible, dangerous and offensive. (irishtimes.com)
- otherConnolly fell to the ground but got up, and was also dragged by Higgins. (irishtimes.com)
- otherConnolly, from Edenderry, managed to land a number of blows and tried to get to the hotel where he was staying, but was not allowed entry. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGardaí arrived and found Connolly unresponsive on the ground, with a female nurse trying to revive him. (irishtimes.com)
- otherAll parties to the assault had been intoxicated. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHiggins was not known to Munnelly. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe judge said there was no provocation. (irishtimes.com)
- otherMunnelly changed his plea to guilty in June, just before a jury was to be empanelled for a planned four-week trial. (irishtimes.com)
- otherMunnelly had 102 previous convictions. (irishtimes.com)
- otherMunnelly was out on bail and on a suspended sentence at the time of the incident and had been drinking and snorting cocaine. (rte.ie)
- otherMunnelly had 102 previous convictions including one for trespass, five for drug crimes, 58 road traffic charges, 16 public order matters, five for criminal damage, two for assault causing harm, one for a threat to kill, nine for thefts, failing to appear in court, an offence under the Telecommunications Act, and one for burglary. (rte.ie)
- otherMunnelly apologised in a letter read out in court saying he never set out to hurt anyone and it was like a nightmare he woke up to every day. (rte.ie)
- otherConnolly's sister Diane Lynch read a victim impact statement describing him as a much-loved character, and niece Shauna Connolly described how his death ripped through the lives of others. (rte.ie)
- otherMunnelly was 36 years old at the time of the offence. (irishtimes.com)
- otherMunnelly's guilty plea was taken into account as mitigation, though it came very late. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 16 Oct2026Man who delivered ‘final strike’ in death of man on stag jailed for six-and-a-half years
Reports the sentencing of Seán Munnelly for manslaughter and provides details of the incident, the judge's reasoning, aggravating and mitigating factors, and the prior sentencing of co-accused David Higgins.
convicted, Seán Munnelly, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Seán Munnellyvictim, Paul 'Babs' Connolly, 48, male, irish (judged from name)Paul 'Babs' Connollyconvicted, David Higgins, male, named, irish (judged from name)David Higgins - 16 Oct2026Man sentenced to six years for killing man on stag night
Provides full sentencing details: Judge Deirdre Browne imposed a seven-year sentence with six months suspended, backdated to 27 February 2024. Includes the judge's reasoning on no provocation, aggravating and mitigating factors, the accused's 102 previous convictions, his guilty plea in June, victim impact statements from the Connolly family, and background on co-accused David Higgins who was separately jailed in December 2023.
victim, Paul 'Babs' Connolly, 48, male, irish (judged from name)Paul 'Babs' Connollyconvicted, Sean Munnelly, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Sean Munnellyconvicted, David Higgins, 18, male, named, irish (judged from name)David Higgins - 16 Oct2026Man jailed for stag-night killing after 21-minute violent assault
Provides full sentencing details including the judge's remarks on video evidence, aggravating and mitigating factors, the accused's prior bail and suspended sentence status, 102 previous convictions, and victim impact statements from the Connolly family.
victim, 48, male, irish (judged from name)convicted, Sean Munnelly, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Sean Munnelly - 16 Oct2026Stag night killer jailed for 6.5 years - Gript
Reports the sentencing of the convicted killer to six and a half years for the stag night murder in Athlone.
victim, Paul Connolly, irish (judged from name)Paul Connollyconvicted, Sean Munnelly, male, named, irish (judged from name)Sean Munnelly - 30 Jun2026Guilty plea over manslaughter of Co Offaly man who died during stag party in Athlone
First report of the guilty plea; details of the assault, the co-accused's 2023 sentence, and sentencing arrangements provided.
victim, 48, male, irish (judged from name)convicted, Seán Munnelly, 37, male, named, irish (judged from name)Seán Munnellyconvicted, David Higgins, male, named, irish (judged from name)David Higgins - 1 Jun2026Man pleads guilty to manslaughter in stag night killing case
A guilty plea to manslaughter was entered at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, with facts and sentencing adjourned to 6 October and a victim impact statement ordered.
victim, Paul “Babs” Connolly, 48, male, irish (judged from name)Paul “Babs” Connollyconvicted, Sean Munnelly, 39, male, named, irish (judged from name)Sean Munnelly