The sun was shining in Kenmare this week as tourists sipped coffees outside restaurants and browsed stalls around the town’s square.
All seemed oblivious to the drama unfolding in the hills above this picturesque town in south Kerry.
For locals, it was different. The mood has turned sombre lately as one subject dominates conversations: the macabre details of the apparent violent death met by 56-year-old local man Michael Gaine on his hillside farm, less than 6km from Kenmare.
Gaine’s farm lies just off the popular tourist Ring of Kerry route that wends between peaks and valleys.
“It’s been the talk of the place since Mike disappeared two months ago and since we heard the news…