Jason Hennessey snr (48) died of gunshot wounds to neck and torso after Christmas Eve attack, inquest hears

A man who died after a gangland attack in a busy restaurant on Christmas Eve last year had sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the “neck and upper trunk”, an inquest hearing into his death has heard.

Jason Hennessy snr (48), a father of seven and grandfather of 10, from Corduff, west Dublin, died in the Mater hospital on January 4th, 12 days after being wounded in Browne’s Steakhouse, Blanchardstown. The gunman, Tristan Sherry (26), was overpowered at the scene and fatally injured.

At an inquest hearing before Dublin District Coroner Dr Clare Scott on Wednesday, the deceased man’s daughter, Shelby Maher (26), confirmed she had identified her father’s remains. A statement read in her presence at the hearing stated she had gone to the intensive care unit of the Mater hospital on the afternoon of January 4th and identified the remains to Sgt Stephen Broderick.

At the conclusion of the brief inquest hearing, the dead man’s widow, Veronica, told some of the gardaí present “you are the reason my husband is in the ground” and appeared to rebuff their efforts to greet her.

Also giving evidence at the hearing, Sgt Broderick said the Dr Jo Kelleher had pronounced Mr Hennessy dead at 11.44am on the morning in question. His remains were then preserved and responsibility for them transferred to gardaí from Blanchardstown, as part of the criminal investigation into the killing.

Det Insp Liam Donohoe of Blanchardstown Garda station applied for a six-month adjournment of the inquest process on the grounds the criminal investigation into Mr Hennessy’s murder was continuing. Dr Scott granted his request, saying it “sounds reasonable”, and set a date of April 8th, 2025, for the next hearing.

Dr Scott told those present – a group of the dead man’s family and loved ones, as well as Garda personnel – that although the inquest would not proceed in full until a later date, she was in a position to record the cause of death. She confirmed this as gunshot wounds to the neck and upper torso.

Dr Scott added this would allow for the issuing of a death certificate to the family. The medical cause of death had been determined during a postmortem on Mr Hennessy’s remains carried out by State Pathologist Dr Sally Anne Collis.

Gardaí believe Mr Hennessy was shot dead as part of a protracted feud between rival factions in west and north Dublin. Separate murder investigations are continuing into the murders and a number of people have been charged with offences relating to their alleged roles in the events inside the restaurant on Christmas Eve.

Though Sherry was the suspected gunman in the fatal attack on Mr Hennessy, gardaí believe he was aided by a number of accomplices on the day. Gardaí believe Sherry, a minor criminal figure from Finglas, wanted to attack Mr Hennessy or some of the men he was with in the restaurant. The machine pistol Sherry used remains unaccounted for.

Mr Hennessy’s funeral mass in January was told he had “sensed” the danger and stepped forward to save others and become “a true hero” during the Christmas Eve attack.