Murder - attempted suicide Co. Fermanagh this morning.

[Stripeyanddotty]

A woman in her 40s and 2 children shot dead. Man in hospital with gunshot wounds. Police not looking for anyone else.
It will never end.
Just devastating for their family.

"I've been fucking furious watching the press coverage and police statements.
'We don't want people to make assumptions' "

BBC Northern Ireland now using the word "murdered" in their coverage:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/northern_ireland

The PSNI have announced that Ian Rutledge has died of his injuries.

Yes poor Clodagh and her boys. He was exhumed and buried in Kilkenny if I remember rightly. The Coll family history is very tragic.

The fourth person shot in the house, Ian Rutledge, 43, has now died. He shares a surname with the children, so I'm assuming he's their father. I doubt they'll all be buried together.

www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2025/0728/1525813-fermanagh-shooting/

The mother and children are being brought "home" to Clare and he is (i think) native of Fermanagh so very unlikely to be buried in the same plot.

How hard it must be on both families to try come to terms with what happend.

Yes Clodagh Coll. They lived about 10km from me. Maybe less, but I didn't know her.

@DeanElderberry I'd say you are right. The police said from the start they didn't think they'd make any arrests so they new it was him and that he most likely wouldn't live.

It's just horrendous though it really is.

@AnSolas yes I would actually feel very sorry for his family too. Not for the loss of him. But they have lost their DIL/SIL and their niece and nephew/ GC but are on the 'wrong side of the fence' I can't imagine how they must feel. TBH I don't want to imagine

Someone I know was brought to a play date with this guy when they were kids and asked never to be sent to play with him again as he was “not a nice boy and really mean”

They were 6

The family have released funeral arrangements. Vanessa, Sara and James will be laid to rest in Co. Clare

There's a condolence page open on RIP.ie (link at the bottom)

rip.ie/death-notice/vanessa-james-and-sara-whyte-rutledge-clare-barefield-600939

Just so sad.

I hope her family will find comfort in them being together.

This just came up on my news feed.

https://armaghi.com/news/lurgan-news/survey-finds-100-of-people-in-north-lurgan-find-violence-against-women-to-be-significant-problem/276262

Triple murderer Rutledge tried to strangle wife week before he shot her and children dead
Full articel at https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/triple-murderer-rutledge-tried-to-strangle-wife-week-before-he-shot-her-and-children-dead/a1658911831.html

Can be read in full at https://archive.is/DG0Gg

Thanks for that link. I had to go off on my own for a bit when I read that. I was at the funeral yesterday. Read a stat today that 20% of women in abusive relationships have been abused for over 10 years. I have a sickening suspicion that Vanessa was in that 20%.

It was a good service, mostly about Vanessa and the children but no pussy footing around the reason why we were there. Her family spoke well, all so calm and dignified but you could hear the anger along with shock and grief in her sister's voice and I thought, good. She has a right to be angry. Give this situation the anger it deserves.

Vanessa and the children were carried out of the church to "Clare, my heart, my home". Aul fellas from Barefield who probably knew her as a child standing at the back in blue short sleeved checked shirts, probably the only thing a lot of them had that qualified for the "bright colours" dress code, quietly pushing fifty euro notes into slot of the wooden collection box with "Donations Women's Aid" sellotaped onto it. And three hearses side by filling the road. One or two of them from Gort, I think, probably because the family's local funeral directors don't have enough of them to deal with burying a mother and two children at the same time.

🌻 powershowerforanhour

This has left me in tears.

So very very sad, for those who have their lives cut short. And for the family left behind.

And knowing this is not an isolated case.

Thanks @powershowerforanhour

Thank you. Hearbreaking.

wrt: Aul fellas . . . . . quietly pushing fifty euro notes into slot of the wooden collection box with "Donations Women's Aid" sellotaped onto it.

Our PP, different county but not a million miles from Clare, has run a few collections (toys, dressing gowns, Easter eggs) for a women's shelter and been genuinely taken aback by just how much he was given each time. I have picked up a sense that a lot of people, including sane and decent older men, have heard too many hard stories that they'd never repeat.

I get that gossip is bad, but open honest conversation is a different thing, and it seems as though we need one. Poor Vanessa. RIP

Thank you powershowerforanhour for that beautiful description of the goodbye to Vanessa, Sara and James.
You brought us there, and brought tears to our eyes💐

powershowerforanhour this has broken my heart.

It's just so sad. Thank you for posting the link to RIP, I signed.

This is unsurprising but it surprised me. I don't know why because it's very predictable

archive.ph/8oIT9

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/domestic-abuse-victims-routinely-threatened-with-horror-killings/a1010044267.html

I hope the links work. I had a struggle with the archive one.