The Indo Daily: A convicted fraudster, 40 cousins and a will worth millions

18/5/23 PHOTO SHOWS: Mr. Peter O’Toole, of Moycullen, Co. Galway, at the High Court in Dublin yesterday (THURS). He is the main beneficiary of a purported will made by the late Margaret Hernon which is being challenged by her relatives. PIC: Collins Courts

When widow Margaret Hernon died in 2017, she left an estate valued between €2.5 million and €9 million with an additional €750,000 in the bank.

With no children, no siblings, and no surviving first cousins – who would stand to inherit her fortune?

Peter O’Toole – a convicted fraudster from Galway – was named as the primary beneficiary of her estate and that raised concerns with over 40 distant cousins of Ms Hernon.

Presenter Siobhán Maguire is joined by Sunday Independent journalist Maeve Sheehan to look at this story that would eventually play out in the High Court with many twists and turns that nobody saw coming.