Family remember murdered Gareth as ‘bubbly and fun’

GARETH Kelly’s heartbroken family gathered to plant a tree of hope on the two-year anniversary of his death, after he was brutally murdered outside his home in Kingswood in February 2020.

It was an emotional morning in Corkagh Park as close family and friends gathered on Friday, February 25, to remember father-of seven Gareth Kelly, 39, who died following a stabbing in the Browns Barn Estate, in Kingswood.

Gareth’s mother Noeleen, who also recently lost her husband, spoke to The Echo about the pain she has endured over the last two years since Gareth’s death.

“Nobody really knows what I go through every morning. It was hard enough when Gareth passed and then I also lost my husband, who was my strength,” she said.

“Gareth was a very hard worker and he worked so hard for his family. He was just amazing, and he always had a smile on his face and he shines through his amazing children.”

Gareth, who was originally from Tallaght, but who had been living in Clondalkin, had tried to start his car to go to work on that morning in February 2020. He was believed to have been staying over with his partner in the estate, which is a small cul-de-sac. His car would not start when he came out to go to work at 7am and he was working on the engine when he sustained stab wounds and he died on the street between two cars.

Mother-of-three Christina Anderson, with an address at Browns Barn Wood, Kingswood, was charged with the murder of Gareth, with the trial to commence on March 7, 2022.

The planting and blessing of a tree in Corkagh Park held significance for Gareth’s family, who say that it was a place he would come often as a child and later with his own children.

Gareth Kelly

“Gareth would always bring the kids here, this was basically our back garden,” said Gareth’s partner, Maria.

“Me and Gareth actually had our first date here as well, so this park had a big part in Gareth’s life, and this was his happy place.

Describing the type of person her partner was, Maria said: “Gareth was fun, bubbly and he just was a messer. He loved animals – every time he would come home, he would have a different animal.

“He was a full-on dad who would have had no problem doing cartwheels, running in the mud and did everything to make his kids smile. He would help anyone out and do anything for people – he would give you the shirt off his back if he could.”

Gareth’s sister Lorraine also remembered her brother at the ceremony: “He was a real outdoors person and he used to bring my boys up fishing in the lake,” she said.

“Last year we came to Corkagh Park, and we put a ribbon on a tree up the hill and it was just nice to be able to mark it that way. It is still very raw, but now we know we can come here in the fresh air speaks volumes and now he has his own tree.”