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Monaghan woman who died in Spain named as police confirm husband died trying to save her

Published 10:26 28 Aug 2026 BST

Updated 10:33 28 Aug 2026 BST

Aoife Moore
Monaghan woman who died in Spain named as police confirm husband died trying to save her

Homecrime

The post-mortems on the Irish woman and her partner found dead in their jacuzzi have found the pair died in an accident.

Thomasina McArdle, from Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, and New Zealand national Patrick Tobin were on holiday in a villa with their two teenage children, who discovered their bodies on Tuesday afternoon.

Ms McArdle is the daughter of Tommy McArdle, a well known director and playwright who previously worked for RTE.

Her brother John is an assistant treasurer at Monaghan GAA. The family are well known in the county.

Tests are continuing but post-mortem examinations have found the couple died in an accident, with electrocution being considered.

Forensic experts believe McArdle died first and Tobin lost his life trying to save her.

Completion of the tests is expected to take several weeks.

The couple’s teenage children are being comforted by relatives who flew to Spain from Monaghan to be with them after being informed of the double tragedy.

His family in New Zealand and the UK are being assisted by New Zealand consular authorities.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed earlier this week that it was aware of the case and was providing consular assistance.

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