‘We should be celebrating Richard’s 23rd birthday this week instead of trying to get over his loss’

Golf was Richard’s passion. Before heading into the Liberties for St Stephen’s night, he promised his father a game the next day. But Richard never fulfilled his promise as a night of celebration turned to tragedy. Ken Powell reports

Richard Temple should have turned 23 years old on February 4, but his life was tragically ended by a senseless Stephen’s night stabbing. Richard was the only son of Richard senior and Margaret Temple; he is also survived by three sisters: Melissa, Audrey and Rebecca. Richard worked on the assembly line with a motor company in Bray, County Wicklow, just a few miles down the road from the Shankhill housing estate where his family are trying to come to terms with their tragic loss.

Golf was Richard’s passion; he loved to play, and not just in fair weather. Before leaving Rathsallagh Grove, where he lived all of his short life, for the last time on a wildly stormy Stephen’s night, he had made an arrangement to play a round with his dad the following afternoon.

Richard had spent Christmas time happily ensconced with his family. In fact, when he left the family home after dinner on that wintry Saturday night, it was the first time he had ventured outside for a couple of days.

His heartbroken mother Margaret is recovering from a stroke she had last year that left her paralysed on her left side. Richard was devoted to his mother; and had taken the time and trouble after dinner to cut her fingernails and toenails, the last thing he did before going out on St Stephen’s night.

He said goodbye to the family at around 6.30 pm, headed for the Red Lion pub in the Newmarket area of the Liberties. He was accompanied by a good friend, Paul, whose father co-owns the pub. Paul had dropped out to visit Richard in Shankhill earlier in the day, and stayed for dinner with the Temple family.

The Red Lion is a true-blue working-class local in a close-knit inner-city community. Triangular pennants advertising Labatt’s Canadian lager (£2 a pint in the Red Lion) dangle over the heads of punters drinking at the low square-shaped wooden bar. Middle-aged women exchange banter and play cards, huddled almost conspiratorially in groups in the open-plan lounge.

Posters advertising the Dublin South-Central Workers’ Party draw compete with those for the pub’s own draw. Younger clients drink bottles of Satzenbrau and other longnecks; vodka mixed with the caffeine energy drink Red Bull is also popular.

A couple of weeks after Richard’s death, people in the pub are reluctant to talk about the incident. One regular who knew Richard said he did not wish to discuss the awful night: "I’m just sick to death of talking about it already," said the clearly upset young man.

Barstaff in the Red Lion say Richard and his friends "weren’t the type of lads to be getting into trouble". They were, according to one barman, just enjoying a few drinks and the craic like any other Stephen’s night revellers.

Gardai agree that Richard was an unlikely murder victim. Before his tragic murder, he had never come to the attention of any of the eighty gardai based in Shankhill garda station.

His parents are full of praise for the Gardai of Shankhill and of Kevin Street, for their support since the tragedy. They express their appreciation time and again for the work done by Kevin Street detectives, under Detective Inspector Declan Coburn, and for the kindness and sympathy shown by Clanbrassil Street residents and "all at the Red Lion pub".

Richard Temple senior told The Liberty: "We know they [Gardai] are doing everything they can, but perhaps there is somebody out there who remembers something of the night that could seem insignificant to themselves but which could be of crucial assistance to the Gardai in solving the case.

"I would ask anyone who knows anything not to be afraid of sharing any information they may have. It would be wrong if justice is not done for our son’s death. We do not want people to feel pressurised, but we would ask that anyone with whatever possible evidence would step forward quietly and tell Gardai what they know.

"We should be celebrating Richard’s 23rd birthday this week instead of trying to get over this awful loss," he told The Liberty.

Anyone with any possible information is asked to contact Kevin Street Garda station, telephone 4752693.