One of Ireland’s longest serving prisoners has walked free after 42 years - and told The Mirror/Star he’s just lucky he wasn’t hanged.
Michael Holohan (68) was freed from Shelton Abbey prison this week - after serving what is one of the longest ever stints behind bars for the brutal murder of Galway woman Mary Kitt, 45, in June of 1980.
This paper exclusively tracked Holohan to his new bolthole in Co Kildare, where he was seen going shopping for jewellery in Newbridge, mingling among members of the public, and eventually going to the local Intreo centre, as begins his new life.
We approached Holohan, who was surprisingly talkative - and the killer, who has spent an unprecedented amount of time behind bars, told us he’s lucky that things didn’t turn out worse for him.
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“The way I look at it, if that had happened back in the early 60s, I would have been hung because hanging was still there.
“There’s no doubt about it, you know. So, you know, if you take someone’s life then you have to do the time,” he told us.
“I’ve done a long time so no one can say that I haven’t served enough time. It was 42 years.”
In the late 70s and early 80s Holohan was considered to be one of the most violent criminals on the streets of Galway - and on June 3, 1980, he broke into the home of his neighbour Mary Kitt on Grattan Road in Salthill, and took her life.
Evil Holohan demanded money from Mary, before he then stabbed her in her own bed, struck her with an ashtray a number of times, and choked her to death.
Speaking to us this week after his 42 year prison stint came to an end, Holohan described what he did to Mary as a “robbery gone wrong,” and claimed he had nothing but remorse for his actions.
Asked if he is sorry for what he did he said: “Of course, absolutely yeah. Of course I mean like you know you have to.
“It’s been a long time but you do the crime you do the time and you get on with it and do it you know. Obviously it’s tragic for them (Mary’s family). It’s tragic for my family as well, you know.
“Of course you regret what happened, you regret it til the day you die. It was just a robbery gone wrong. I panicked. It happened and there’s nothing you can do, you can’t go back and change things. I wish I could but I can’t,” he said.
Holohan was among just four other prisoners who are now behind bars for over 40 years.
Sources have told this paper that he could have been released a lot earlier had he engaged with critical services for rehabilitation while in prison.
However, Holohan denied this to us and said, “I was never a difficult prisoner.
Holohan claims his lengthy prison stint was initially quite difficult, but as the system modernised, his sentence became “easier.”
“It was difficult at the start. It’s a long time ago and prison was rough back then,” he told us.
“There has been progress over the years and there seems to be more care for prisoners since then. It kind of got easier, you know.”
Asked if people should now fear him or if he is a violent man Holohan told us:
“At nearly 70 years old I don’t think there’s much violence left in me or anything like that. I’ve never been violent in prison or anything like that,” he claimed.
Tragic Mary Kitt worked all her adult life as a secretary at the Connaught Tribune Newspaper.
She lived alone in her home in Salthill and was in bed when an intoxicated Holohan broke in and terrorised her - demanding money.
He went down to the kitchen and took ten pounds from Mary’s purse, but instead of leaving, went back upstairs and attacked her.
After committing the horrific murder, the heartless killer did not immediately leave the scene - instead making Mary’s bed and put her under it, hiding her from view.
Six years before the murder Holohan abducted a 14 year old French male student and held him hostage for two hours, assaulting him during the ordeal.
For that brutal attack he ended up serving 12 months in prison at St Patrick’s Institution in Dublin.
However while on bail before being sentenced he also committed another violent crime - attacking a 25 year old woman at a railway line in Galway.
For that he got a six month sentence which was to be served at the same time as the 12 month sentence.
Earlier in life in 1971 he stole a car and knocked down two pedestrians, leaving them with serious injuries.
Mary’s body was eventually discovered by her friend who had a key to her home.
Less than nine hours after committing the murder Holohan was drinking in a pub in Galway.
The following day after issuing an appeal gardai tracked down Holohan at his home on Grattan Road - which was not far from Mary’s address.
He made a full confession to gardai, telling them he broke into her home “because I needed money.”
“I picked out Mary Kitt’s place because I knew she was living alone,” he told detectives.
“I went into the front bedroom where Mary Kitt was sleeping and she woke up when she heard the noise of the door opening.
“She asked me what I wanted and I said money and she told me her handbag was downstairs.
“I went downstairs and I took a ten pound note out of a purse. I got a knife from a drawer in the kitchen and went back upstairs.
“Mary Kitt was out of bed and she had a nightgown on her. She said, “I know who you are, Holohan.’
“I had the knife in my hand and I went over to her and put my arm around her neck and we both fell to the ground.
“I stabbed her in the side with the knife. I picked up the glass ashtray and hit her with it a couple of times in the head.
“I got two cuts on the palm of my hand. I started to get frightened and was walking out of the bedroom door when I heard her coughing and I went back over to her and I choked her.
“I pushed her underneath the bed. I made the bed and went downstairs.
“I threw the knife away on my way home.”
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