Andrew McGinley 'happy' in new relationship as he prepares for emotional charity walk

The father of three children killed by their mother has revealed he’s been in a relationship with another woman for the past two years.

Andrew McGinley’s children Conor (9), Darragh (7) and Carla McGinley (3), were killed by their mother Deirdre Morley at their home in Newcastle, Co Dublin on January 24, 2020.

Morley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and is now applying for community release from the Central Mental Hospital.

READ MORE – ‘More children will die’ under new mental health law, says Andrew McGinley

Andrew today confirmed to The Irish Mirror that he’s been in a new relationship with a woman for the past two years.

“I have a partner that I’ve been seeing for the past two years. I’m happy, yes,” Andrew said.

“But that’s my private life and that’s all I want to say about it.”

On Saturday Andrew is setting off with friends and supporters on a charity walk from Mullingar to Maynooth ‘Walking the Walk’ for his charity ‘As Darragh Did’ – and has already raised almost €35,000.

Friday marks what would have been Darragh’s 12th birthday, making the occasion very emotional for the heartbroken Dad.

“Tomorrow is Darragh’s birthday. So it will be an emotional weekend, a big weekend.

“I have a lot of nervous apprehension about it but I have an awful lot of support,” Andrew told us.

Speaking about his reasons for doing the walk Andrew says it was inspired by a song he used to sing to the kids.

Andrew McGinley with his three children, Conor, Darragh and Carla

“My lullaby I used to sing to the kids was the Auld Triangle and it has the line in it about the Royal Canal.

“I have a few video clips of the lads singing the song. Then I can honestly say Conor, Darragh and Carla went to Maynooth University. They went for my sister’s graduation and it’s the only university they attended.

“As I think about them getting older I find it hard to think about the age they would be,” he said.

Andrew says he hopes people will donate to the cause, as he reveals his charity is now involved in an impressive 140 projects, and has raised hundreds of thousands of euro in funds that are going towards local clubs and organisations across the country.

“I’m delighted for any encouragement along the way but ultimately it’s a fundraiser so if people want to donate they can do so on idonate.

“It’s walking the walk as Darragh did. The Daniel O’Donnell concert raised about €100,000 for us, the Maynooth students for charity raised about €86,000 for us, so I’m hoping we can get to 50.

“If I got above that I’d be ecstatic,” Andrew said.

“I’m hoping that this will be our annual fundraiser.”

Andrew also opened up about the HSE review into his wife’s care – and says he won’t give up fighting to have the system changed – in order for family members to be properly informed about their loved ones’ mental health care.

“I’ll continue the fight. I believe a co-parent should be supported, fully engaged with, fully advised and informed.

“Nobody should be making decisions that would impact anybody other than the patient and I believe in our case that decisions were made for Deirdre that were clearly going to impact Conor, Darragh, Carla and myself.

“If you look at the decision to allow a patient with a suicidal ideation who had expressed concerns about being around her children to be back in the house with her children, I just feel that shouldn’t have been a clinician’s decision,” he said.

“I don’t feel it’s right that clinicians are making decisions that are clearly going to have an impact on other people in the family dynamic.”

Meanwhile Andrew says he hopes to be informed of when Deirdre Morley will be released from the Central Mental Hospital – though he says he ultimately cannot do anything about it.

“I’ve registered as a victim so I’m supposed to be notified. I haven’t received any notification other than she applied for community release.

“To be quite honest with you I don’t think there’s much in the way of consideration given towards me so I’m just trying to move on with my life now.

“It will happen but I’m just focusing on the projects I do and moving forward with a happy and hopefully long life,” he said.

You can donate to Andrew’s cause here: https://www.idonate.ie/event/walkingthewalkwithasdarraghdid

Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.