Out now: Nobody Heard Them Cry

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

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

In September 1992, 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.

All episodes will be released on all the usual platforms on Tuesday, April 7th 2026.

To contact the podcast team, email [email protected]

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