The house and gardens have been sealed off
A WOMAN who died and her husband who was seriously injured in an attack that took place outside their home last night have been named locally.

Stella Gallagher, 59, and her husband Brian suffered multiple stab wounds in the assault, which took place at their home in the Shrewsbury Downs Estate on the south side of Cork city at around 9:15pm.

The pair were both rushed to Cork University Hospital for treatment of critical injuries but the woman, aged in her late 50s, was sadly pronounced dead.

The Office of the State Pathologist has been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course.

The man, aged in his 60s, remains in a serious but stable condition.

The couple have a grown-up family and it is understood that Brian was very involved in the chemical engineering sector.

In an interview with Newstalk, Taoiseach Michael Martin described the death of Stella in a stabbing incident as “very, very sad news for the neighbourhood.”

He said: “And I live in that neighbourhood. This is totally unexpected and I can only think of the family and friends of the family who have been impacted by this awful incident.”

A 25-year-old man understood to be known to the couple was arrested at the scene by gardai.

They arrived at the scene after being alerted by neighbours, who are believed to have seen the incident and alerted the emergency services.

Gardai rushed to the scene, including members of the Armed Support Unit  who disarmed the suspect. They began to perform CPR on the badly wounded female.

Paramedics were at the house soon after the Gardai and rendered medical assistance to the woman and her husband before taking them by ambulance to CUH where a medical team was waiting to tend to them.

The male who was arrested at the house was taken to the Bridewell Garda Station in the city centre.

He is being held there under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

The services of a doctor were requested to medically examine the suspect before questioning could begin.

An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is now underway.

The house and gardens have been sealed off and a full forensic examination of the area is taking place today.

MAJOR PROBE

Gardai have started door to door enquiries and have been speaking to neighbours as well as harvesting any CCTV or door cam footage in the immediate vicinity of the house.

A garda spokesperson said: “The scene is preserved for examination by the Cork City Divisional Scenes of Crime Unit.

“A Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation and an incident room has been established at Anglesea Street Garda Station.

“A Family Liaison Officer has been assigned to support the family of the deceased.”

WITNESS PLEA

Gardai have urged anyone with any information that may assist in their investigation to come forward.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Gardai are appealing for witnesses to this incident to come forward.

“Anyone who was in the Shrewsbury Downs area of Ballinlough between 8:30pm and 9:30pm on Monday 17th November 2025 and who may have camera footage (including home security and dash-cam footage) is asked to provide this footage to investigating Gardaí.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda Station on 021 452 2000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.”