Woman (59) dead and man (60s) seriously injured following stabbing incident

Olivia Kelleher

A 59-year-old woman has died, and her husband, in his early 60s, remains seriously injured in hospital after they were attacked outside their home in Ballinlough in Cork on Monday night.

The couple were stabbed outside their home in Shrewsbury Downs on the southside of the city at around 9.15pm yesterday.

A man in his mid-20s, who is known to the couple, was arrested at the scene.

Neighbours of the pair contacted the emergency services, having witnessed an incident outside the property.

Members of the Armed Support Unit attended the scene.

Paramedics performed CPR on the injured man, and the couple were rushed to Cork University Hospital for treatment.

It is understood that the woman was treated by paramedics on the street near her home. She was subsequently pronounced dead at Cork University Hospital.

The Office of the State Pathologist has been notified, and a post-mortem examination will be carried out.

Her husband underwent emergency surgery and remains in serious but stable condition.

The arrested man was taken to a garda station in Cork for questioning.

He is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and was due to be seen by a doctor on Monday evening.

It is understood that gardaí need to ascertain whether the man is medically fit to be questioned at this time.

The scene was cordoned off and a full forensic examination of the area is set to take place on Tuesday.

In an interview with Newstalk, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the death of the 59-year-old woman as “very, very sad news for the neighbourhood.

“And I live in that neighbourhood. This is totally unexpected, and I can only think of the family and friends of the family who have been impacted by this awful incident.”

Meanwhile, two red brick houses and the green area at Shrewsbury Downs remain cordoned off on Tuesday morning for a technical examination. There is a Garda presence at the scene.

Two neighbours chatting by the green area declined to comment on the incident other than to describe it as a tragedy for the family.

Shrewsbury Downs is a quiet, mature area off the Ballinlough road on the southside of Cork city.

Two members of An Garda Síochána were carrying out door-to-door inquiries shortly before 10am today.

A local man told Paul Byrne of 96FM that he was shocked at what had unfolded in their quiet neighbourhood.

“It is frightening to think that it could happen on your doorstep. That you could look out your window and see people lying out there. Especially when you have young kids living here and playing out on the green here. It is frightening that the value of life is diminishing.”

The man said that he wasn’t at home when the incident took place. He became aware of the unfolding situation when his wife contacted him.

“She was ringing. Other neighbours were ringing, leaving messages to stay indoors for now.”

Another neighbour said that "it was great to see" the gardaí responding very quickly to the incident.

“We are shocked. We have never ever seen anything like this,” the neighbour added.

A local woman said that it was “shocking” to see such a tragedy hit the area in the run-up to Christmas. She said that violent deaths were “happening too often.”

Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to the incident to come forward.

The spokesperson said: “Anyone who was in the Shrewsbury Downs area of Ballinlough between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Monday 17th November 2025, and who may have camera footage (including home security and dash-cam footage) is asked to provide this footage to investigating gardaí.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda Station on 021 452 2000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.”