The two look-a-like ladies in Patrick Quirke’s life – one a mistress and the other his wife – were both having sex with the love rat.
The women attended court knowing they had each shared a bed with the 50-year-old farmer over the course of two years.
Quirke, from Breanshamore in Co Tipperary, told the court his wife Imelda had “an inkling” he was seeing her sister-in-law Mary Lowry.
Mrs Quirke, who stood by her cheating husband, bears an uncanny resemblance to his mistress with a similar hairstyle and fashion sense.
Both attended court regularly to hear their lover deny he murdered 52-year-old Bobby Ryan, also known as the DJ Mr Moonlight.
Ms Lowry, also 52 and from Fawnagown in Co Tipperary, said she began the “seedy” affair with Quirke following the death of her husband Martin – the brother of Mrs Quirke – in 2007.
The married man and widow conducted a sexual relationship until Ms Lowry ended it in 2010, having fallen head-over-heels for Mr Ryan.
In her evidence, she told the court she was “mad about him” and loved him “to bits”.
Ms Lowry revealed she had started the affair with Quirke because she hadn’t had sex for years after her husband was diagnosed with cancer.
She said they would be intimate twice a week, going to her bedroom on a Monday and Friday morning after her children left for school.
Ms Lowry said she tried to leave Quirke but he would tell her no one else would have her.
She added: “I was very ashamed so I didn’t tell any of my friends or family for a long, long time. I knew Pat Quirke was a happily married man.
“Pat would say, ‘If you tell your friends, none of them will talk to you and your family won’t stand by you’.”
Ms Lowry claimed security footage had caught Quirke stealing underwear from her clothes line. She said she put a stop to him leasing her land after CCTV footage showed him wandering around her home and looking in windows.
He managed to secure a lease on a neighbouring farm, owned by a woman named Mary Dillon.
The court heard that before the lease was up, Ms Lowry saw Quirke with a tractor on her land.
Giving evidence, she said she told him: “You’re some c*** and I can’t wait to see the back of you and I hope you won’t be stealing Mary Dillon’s knickers off the line.”
His response, she claimed, was: “Ha.”
Patrick Quirke found guilty of murder of Mr Moonlight DJ Bobby Ryan
Meanwhile, his wife learned from Garda reports read out in court that although her husband loved her, he was “in love with” Ms Lowry.
Quirke had written a letter to an agony aunt in a Sunday newspaper looking for help.
From it, Mrs Quirke realised her husband wished he had the same feelings for her as he had for his secret lover.
The letter read: “I know I have done wrong and let my wife down badly. I contemplated telling her but feel it would do nothing to relieve my burden while it would devastate her.
“My wife has been a tremendous support and loves me deeply. Ironically, this almost makes things worse.
“Unfortunately, while I love her, I am not in love with her. I’m still in love with my ex-lover even though I accept that the affair is over.”
