A Co. Down Trinity College law graduate has received a six-year sentence for killing a Limerick student following a court hearing in Greece. Joseph Patrick Connolly was sentenced on January 20th, 2026, after a 12-hour trial in the city of Ermoupoli, on the island of Syros.
Connolly, was found guilty of fatal bodily harm which led to the death of 21-year-old Niall O’Brien in the morning of August 30th, 2021. The altercation occurred in the town of Chora, on the Greek island of Ios. Connolly is said to have punched O’Brien, which caused the victim to sustain a lethal head injury.
O’Brien was enjoying a holiday in Greece with a group of friends. He encountered Joseph Connolly outside of the Sweet Irish Dream club in Chora, where Connolly is said to have been acting in an aggressive manner and was subsequently asked to leave the club. Connolly was alleged to be involved in another altercation before his encounter with O’Brien.
Multiple witnesses indicate that it was Connolly who attacked first, shortly after a verbal dispute broke out between the two. The blow administered by Connolly caused O’Brien to fall backwards and hit his head against the ground.
In the immediate aftermath of the event, Connolly was charged with causing fatal bodily harm at a hearing on the Cyclade island of Naxos. The trial took place over four years after the incident occurred.
By the end of the Ermoupoli trial, Connolly was found guilty of the felony of fatal bodily harm with a six-year prison sentence, but he was released on bail, awaiting an appeal, which the Connolly family believes will “reveal the truth”. The O’Brien family stated that with the verdict of the trial “Niall has finally been completely vindicated”.
The O’Brien family, relieved by the result of the trial, remembers Niall as a “kind, intelligent, fun-loving, friendly young man”.
ENDS
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