Skip to content

New listen: Nobody Heard Them Cry

April 7, 2026 · 3 min

Show notes

In 1992, Frank McCann tried to kill his wife and child four times to keep a dark secret from coming out.

The swim coach had secretly fathered a child with a special needs teenager in 1987, just months after marrying Esther O’Brien.


With Esther on the brink of discovering the truth and after repeated efforts to kill her, he burned her and their 18-month-old foster baby Jessica to death.

And now, to the horror of those left behind, the remorseless former publican stands on the brink of a permanent release from prison.


Nobody Heard Them Cry is the extraordinary story of a woman and her child who had no idea that their Dublin home had become for them the most dangerous place on earth.


How Esther’s determination to adopt Jessica unwittingly dug up the bones of McCann’s sordid past.

And how her supposedly respectable husband was willing to do anything to keep it buried.


It’s also the story of two family’s desire to keep the unrepentant killer - currently enjoying freedom most days from prison - locked up.

With contributions from Esther’s sister Marian Leonard, McCann’s brother Bernard and gardai, the Irish Sun’s Deep Dive team also come face to face with the beast who has spent over 30 years behind bars.


The three episode series is narrated by Nicola Bardon.

Hear it here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xAbbmH35Y1faFXWXJYTyt



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All episodes of Kinahans Downfall

Settings

Display

Language

Decides which stations you see first on the home page.

History

Recently played stations and episodes and your latest searches are only stored in this browser.

Notifications

A short notice when a podcast you follow has a new episode. Turn off single podcasts with the bell on their page.

Account

Save favorites – in the app and on the website.

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Open search
Space
Play or pause
← →
In the player: back 15 s, forward 30 s (episodes) · in a row: next tile
↑ ↓
In a row: target within the tile
Home / End
In a row: first or last tile
Esc
Close window or menu
?
This overview
Now playing

Go to station page

Play next

    Add episodes with “Play next” – they play after the current episode.