Emer Terrace, a long stretch of terraced houses with a backdrop of red bricks, is located on the approach to Dundalk from the M1. The terrace, with over a century’s history, is now a pale shadow of its former self. Numerous residences stand vacant, and four consecutive ones are on the market. The central house on the terrace is distinguished by a Garda prohibition symbol, signalling the only recent activity. Until May of this year, the missing 8-year-old Kyran Durnin and his family called this home. Gardaí vacated the existing residents, who hold no association to the ongoing investigation, and conducted a thorough search of the residence along with the petite rear garden and patio area on Monday. The investigation concluded by Thursday morning as indicated by the absence of guard members at the door and surrounding area. Kyran and his 24-year-old mother, Dayla Durnin, were declared absent from their leased premises in Drogheda on 30th August. Although the search efforts for Ms. Durnin were discontinued, Kyran’s case had elevated from a missing person to a homicide inquiry based on the gardaí’s belief of his demise. The Durnins’ former neighbours confessed that the family were strangers to them. Marian Kiernan, a resident a few houses away, wasn’t even acquainted with Dayla Durnin’s appearance despite being neighbours for three years, expressing her sorrow over the saddening ordeal. She was the sole resident willing to disclose her identity. One neighbour expressed that Emer Terrace is primarily inhabited by temporary residents and added that she couldn’t identify Kyran or his mother, who is reportedly living in the UK currently. “The occupancy here is fleeting. You’ll have tenants who stay for months before moving on, with senior citizens making up most of the long-term dwellers”, she added.
The home situated on Emer Terrace faces a shop owned by the St Vincent de Paul society. A shop assistant remembers seeing Kyran’s mother frequenting the place with her two female children, however, she has never seen the now missing boy with them. “She has been a visitor here for roughly a year. The situation is unreal, almost like it’s from a television drama,” the shop assistant shared. As with many, she queried how it is possible that a child vanished for such a lengthy period without authorities being alerted.
Police activity has shifted to a communal garden located behind Emer Terrace, within Father Murray Park. The location consists of single-story homes constructed in the 1940s. The search area falls between a pair of joined bungalows situated on the corner. On Thursday afternoon, law enforcement officials were seen entering and leaving the area.
At a certain point, a police officer left to retrieve a chainsaw. A short while later, the noise of branches being severed resonated from the private garden. In one of the connected bungalows inhabits a young couple, unfamiliar with Kyran Durnin’s family. The man said he refrains from giving any statement about the case due to his lack of information. An old lady resides in the neighbouring house. She acknowledged that “there’s a lot happening”, but decided to withhold any additional comments about the current events.