The daughter and ex-wife of one of the men killed in the Mitchelstown murder-suicide have told how they discovered his body.

An inquest into the incident on the night of February 25th has heard that brothers Willie and Paddy Hennessy were killed with an axe.

Their brother, Johnny Hennessy, was later found drowned in a river nearby.

At the inquest today, Elaine Hennessy said she went with her mother Stephanie to check on her father, Paddy, after going hours without hearing from him.

When the pair got to the farm near Mitchelstown, they got out of their car before seeing Paddy’s body on the ground, covered in blood.

Elaine said she didn’t get close, but knew it was her father by his clothes. The two ran back to the car and locked the doors, afraid an attacker could be nearby, and Stephanie rang emergency services.

She spoke of how she said to her mother: “Mam, let’s get out of here, we could be killed.” The two then drove back down the road and waited for the guards.

Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster told the inquest that Paddy Hennessy and his brother Willie died due to blunt force trauma to the head.

The damage was consistent with an axe recovered at the scene. The third brother, Johnny, was discovered drowned in a river near the farm.

The inquest continues this afternoon.