The Words of West Cork podcast looks at the words of those at the heart of the investigation. The suspects, the witnesses and even the police investigators.

What can we learn from what they have said? Is the truth somewhere within their words?

The small rural community where the events took place have thrown up a rich cast of characters, many of them eccentric. The Words of West Cork podcast looks at what they said at the time of the murder and what they say about events now. It will show where stories have been changed and delve deep to see who is being truthful, and who is being deceptive.

There are links below to all the major podcast platforms. On wordsofwestcork.com you can see the words which are analysed in each episode. This is also where you can get involved and discuss the words, make suggestions or add comments.

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Here are some ways to find out more about the story of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

West Cork Podcast

Sophie: A Murder in West Cork from Netflix

Murder at the Cottage from Sky

Never A Truer Word

Ian Bailey of West Cork and Sophie

If you don’t know the background you can read about it here. Ian Bailey has always denied any part in the murder. Ian Bailey has recently appeared on Irish TV. Let’s look at the words he uses: Interviewer: People watching this tonight they think I’m interviewing, many of them, a violent killer who has literally gotten away with murder…

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5 years ago · 1 like · 1 comment · Never A Truer Word

If you have any comments, questions or queries on the episode please leave them in the comments at the bottom of this article. Or email info@neveratruerword.com if you’d prefer. We’ll incorporate some of the feedback into the final episode of the podcast.

Ian Bailey - early post-arrest interview

It was made absolutely certain to me by all my interrogating officers that I was the murderer. They had no doubt, they knew it was me. They just needed me to confess, but I can account for all of my movements during the period. If they had evidence I wouldn't be here talking to you. I wouldn't have been released.

I know I-I’m innocent. I had nothing to do with this killing.

Ian Bailey - another early post-arrest interview

Well, for-for twelve hours, I was subjected to a barrage of questioning from different officers between 10 to a dozen officers. There was one common theme that went on throughout this that they knew that I was the killer, they were convinced.

(Did you know Sophie Toscan du Plantier?)

I didn't know in as much that I'd never met her. But I'd seen her once and she was pointed out to me.

(But you're saying to me here, you didn't kill Sophie Duplantier. Nor did you have any part in that?)

I'm saying to you that I didn't kill her. I had no knowledge of the killing and I’m an innocent man.

Ian Bailey - on Sophie

(Had you any previous knowledge of this woman, had you met her before, were you aquatinted with her, had you seen her before?)

Eh. I had never met her I never been introduced to her. I've never spoken to her .

(Did you know Sophie Toscan Du Plantier?)

I didn’t know her in as much that I've never met her, but I had seen her once and she was pointed out to me.

(Did you know (question in French)?)

Never met her, never spoken with her, I’d seen her on one occasion and it was pointed out by a neighbour.

Ian Bailey - talking recently about Sophie

And I saw somebody in the house who I think may have been her from a distance. I never seen eh eh her at any close range.

(This is all through a window and….)

Yes, and no, no detail, no,  ummmm I wou-I wouldn't have known who she was. I wouldn't have been able to pick her out, for instance, in…in.. erm…I wouldn't have known her…

(So when you saw her picture in the paper subsequently that was the first time…)

I didn’t. I … didn’t ring any bells at all.

Ian Bailey - why did he give so many interviews?

But, my instinct is if I had nothing to do with the thing I was being accused of, I'm not going to remain silent

If you have any comments, questions or queries on the episode please leave them in the comments at the bottom of this article. Or email info@neveratruerword.com if you’d prefer. We’ll incorporate some of the feedback into the final episode of the podcast.

Marie Farrell - being outed

The guards arrived at the house and they couldn't have been nicer. And they said you know, we know you are Fiona. And there's a few boys in the station and they want to have a word with you…

Marie Farrell - early TV appearance

Around 3am on the morning of the 23rd of December, I saw a man walking along the bridge. He appeared to be in a drunken state and he's waving his arms around. When I pointed the man out to the Guardai they told me that his name was Ian Bailey.

Marie Farrell - another early TV appearance

(You're 100% sure it was Ian Bailey on the bridge)

110% and Ian Bailey confirmed that to me when he came into my shop because he said I know you saw me on the bridge.

Marie Farrell - what she saw on the bridge

(You actually saw Ian Bailey a mile from Sophie's home the night she was murdered.)

I did yes.

(And what exactly did you see?)

Erm… I was driving home I’d been out for the evening and erm, I just eh picked up this man in the headlights of my car, staggering along the road. He just appeared to be drunk erm he was staggering and sort of waving his hands around.

Marie Farrell - getting threatened

He arrived in the shop and he said that he knew I had seen him on the bridge and that he wanted me to tell his solicitor that a Guardia had made me make up the story about him. And if I did that he would leave me alone and while I had no intentions of doing that he made my life hell. And at one stage I thought he's so big he could kill me here in two minutes and nobody would know. He.. erm..would make cut throat gestures like this if he met me on the street, or he would do this. That type of intimidation went on for months and months.

Marie Farrell - on further threats

Maybe three weeks ago… erm…  Ian Bailey started parking outside my house when I saw him there one day, eh about seven in the morning. Erm.. a few days before that he stopped me on the road and he told me that he was representing himself at his next case. The.. his exact words eh… the next time I will represent myself and then I will cross examine you and he laughed and drove away.

(And I mean, was it that you felt afraid as a result of this?)

Yeah, I do fe- I feel very afraid.

Marie Farrell - what she was doing that night

I had met a friend, I wasn't having an affair, the husband said I was, I definitely wasn't but my husband didn't know who I had gone to meet that night for a drink. And that was just the start of a nightmare.

Marie Farrell - on what she now says is the truth

I said that he was harassing me and he was calling into the shop and he was threatening me and none of that ever happened.

(Did he ever do that to you?)

Never never.

(So he never threatened to slit your throat?)

Never, never did.

(So when the.. the thing they got from you is the statement to say that you saw him outside your shop and at Kealfadda Bridge?)

Yeah

The murder happened and the local guard came to the shop with a videotape and he asked me to bring it home and watch it and see was that the man that I had seen. And I brought it back to the guard station in Schull the next day. And I said you know that is not the man that was outside the shop.

Marie Farrell - on the man following Sophie

(You were in your shop?)

I was in the shop that day, yeah.

(You were standing outside with Dan Griffin?)

That's right. Yeah, because it was so quiet eh.. he owned the premises.

And this woman came into the shop browsing around. She was probably mid 30s. And at the same time there was a man standing across the road. At the time, I didn't think that he was following her, but he was watching her.

And ..eh.. the woman, she didn't buy anything, she browsed around and she left and she turned up right and walked up Ardmanagh Road and as she did that the man who was across the road, he also walked across the street and he went up Ardmanagh Road. And at that time, Dan Griffen said to me that he's a strange character.

Marie Farrell - why did she change her story?

(The inference is that you changed your opinion, because you'd go through a case against the state. Bailey would be paid a load of money and you get half ‘it.)

I don't know where that came from. There was nothing for me to gain by changing my statements or my story. The only thing was I th-thought it was time to tell the truth and stand up to the Guards. Got a phone call from the Guard, the inspector and he told me that Sophie’s parents were going to take a case, a civil action against Ian Bailey. And there will be another court case and I'd have to go to court again. And I told him that I would never ever again go to court for the Guards and tell lies. I did benefit from, you know, doing whatever the guards wanted me to do.

Did you think Bailey did it?

They told me he did it. And at the time I did believe them. But then I started thinking if he did do it, why do they need to manufacture all of this stuff around him?

If you have any comments, questions or queries on the episode please leave them in the comments at the bottom of this article. Or email info@neveratruerword.com if you’d prefer. We’ll incorporate some of the feedback into the final episode of the podcast.

Billy Fuller - Visit to Ian Bailey

So I actually went up to .. as a friend to tell him what people were saying about him, you know

I went round his house, innocently knocked on the door, he came to the door, let me in, he was sat down, he had like drink everywhere, and like rich food and all this stuff and he said oh do you want a glass of cider and I said I’m actually working I said but I just popped into see you. He was relaxed until I came out with what people are saying about him, that he’d be howling at the moon and stuff.

Straight away, bang! He just went into a complete meltdown, look, there's like he moved from where he was and he went white knuckled and his face changed and he grabbed hold of the thing behind like this and he was astonished.

And he was like, you fucker like this to me and I was like what?

He said you saw her in Spar the day before she was killed and you saw her tight arse and you wanted to give her one. He said that when you went to her house about two o'clock in the morning, she ran away screaming because you scared her. You chased her to calm her down, threw something at her head and realised you went too far.

And I went ….. where did that even come from? It felt like he was saying what he did but through me, you know? I was scared when I left his house. I’ve just been sat with someone really fucking dangerous here like like you know, and I felt scared.

(When he was telling you the story, did it feel like some form of confession?)

Oh definitely yeah definitely I'd say by the by the way he did it to all the other people that he'd confessed to

Louise Kennedy - the fire

My name is Louise Kennedy. I'm a.. I live in Lissacaha. I went for a walk on the 26th of December, St. Stephen's day and I saw a fire burning behind the studio. I just thought it was unusual. I thought maybe he was burning, you know, maybe getting rid of the evidence. I mean, I can't say that I’m.. I’m not 100% sure.. I… but that's what I thought. That's why I suppose I told the Guards maybe ..

Florence Newman - the scratches

The Christmas swim is always you know a wonderful  social occasion for the community. So I just went down to the swim. When I saw Ian, a very striking person, a very tall, strong man. I shook hands with him and I noticed markings on his hand. Kind of parallel lines, maybe four or five or six across the back of his hand. There was a uniformity to them, is what I would say. The timeframe caused me to wonder, that's all. I just thought it was a curious thing, is what I would say. I told my family and I just sort of wondered aloud ,shall we say that's all.

The Police - an imposing man

Ian Bailey is about six foot three, he was a very imposing man, full of confidence. And he was a very good speaker. We sat down. He made very good coffee too as a matter of fact. Oh I would look.. yeah he was.. he told the fricking country the day we left, ..eating two mince pies.

I was fascinated, everything I heard about him. he was sizing me up and I was sizing him up, Kind of a friendly conversation but it was probing on both sides. Bailey’s a complex character you know, he’s a complex character and I said Ian we better talk about this murder.

Jules Thomas - being arrested

Two guards came to the back door. They came and they sat down at the table. They said you know why we're here don't you? I said no. We're.. we’re going to arrest you for the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Very hard to describe the sinking feeling inside. It was just disbelief and horror. absolutely horrified. I thought this isn't real. You know, you had to pinch yourself. It just felt so much like a.. they were acting.

Jules Thomas - someone knows

There are people out there who know what, who know who murdered that.. that woman and I can't believe that they can actually live with what's going on. I can't believe it.

Jules Thomas - never a doubt

(Did it ever cross your mind that Ian could be the killer?)

No, I didn't doubt him. I.. I think he would have been a mess if he'd been.. if he’d done something like that. He wouldn't have been able to keep… keep it from me. emotionally. I could see that something strange had gone on. No, we were very close and.. and… you know?

I don't think that really ….his manner was any different to normal. If he had known her if he’d even met her, he would have told me.. he’d  never met her.

And I would never have .. allowed a murderer in the house with my three daughters …. insane ….you know? I love them so much.

Jules Thomas - I’d know

Is there ever any moment that you sort of think.. maybe?

Well I think they say you..you.. you've sort of 12 hours well say 11 hours in and they say it over and over again to you you can almost brainwash people into believing things. So there was a moment of doubt. There was, but it didn't last very long. I can tell you, you know,

It was… there was no… goodness me if somebody had murdered someone, I don't believe they'd be able to behave absolutely normally the following morning. Do you? Do you think they could act that well, and he's useless at lying. I just know what he was doing that night.

If you have any comments, questions or queries on the episode please leave them in the comments at the bottom of this article. Or email info@neveratruerword.com if you’d prefer. We’ll incorporate some of the feedback into the final episode of the podcast.

Ian Bailey - his story

As everybody knows, 20 odd years ago, there was a murder in.. in West Cork. At the time, I was a ..eh.. journalist, freelance journalist. And I finished up reporting on the .. the crime. And within a few weeks, um, I had been identified by the Guards, falsely as the suspect. That began.. that was 20 odd years ago. And I have throughout that period, I've done everything that I could to protest my innocence.

Because I know, I know that I have nothing to do with this and I know that the false narrative that I did have something to do with it is a complete myth. I can't prove that. I know that. It's difficult.. the gap between knowing something and being able to prove … so I'm like, I've been left in a situation where I've been accused in France of the murder.

Ian Bailey - on Sophie’s Family

Look I.. I’m sorry for their pain. I’..I’m sorry for their suffering. I'm sorry about all the lies that they've chosen to believe and I'm sorry for their suffering. You know but the thing is this, there are no winners in this only losers, of a war of twisted words and corrupted statements. And I'm aware that they chose to believe the web of engrangement of wound by devils. I'm sorry for them and you know, we're tough and there we are.

Ian Bailey - his late night writing

Well, I did get up that night, and I did.. erm.. and I did some writing here on the.. on this kitchen table. Eh.. I’m not exactly sure what time it was.

I had a deadline for a story, the following… that I thought had to be delivered on the Monday morning and I hadn't finished that article. And what I did do was I got up and I eh…. certainly, at… it was nothing unusual for me particularly to get up at maybe three or four o'clock in the morning.

If my…  if I woke up and my mind was alert and alive. And I had something to write about and come down and write

(Even if you had a lot to drink?)

Um.. well, I hadn't had that much to drink that… that night. Erm I mean, I'd had a couple of pints and I might have had a whiskey or two eh..  that was over the course of the evening.

Jules Thomas - on late night writing

Because I just know what he was doing that night. He was here writing on this table, a newspaper article. It wasn't there when we went to bed. When he got up. He was quite excited about what he'd written. And he said look at this, you know.

Jules and Ian - after the French court verdict

(Are we going to tell the world that you still stand by Ian and say it’s all a load of lies?)

Oh, yeah, I would. I do. I always have. Yeah, yeah.

It’s um

eh what I would like to say is all they've succeeded in doing is convicting a completely innocent person of a crime he had nothing to do with.