Sheep belonging to missing Kerry farmer Michael Gaine were sold by his grieving wife at a local mart on Monday, reports The Mirror.
The Irish Mirror spent the day speaking with friends and locals about the ongoing mystery of Michael’s disappearance on March 20 — a case now entering its third week with no solid leads.
Gardaí have pledged to continue searching the 56-year-old’s farmland near scenic Moll’s Gap throughout the week. However, sources say that if no developments occur, the land search could be called off in the coming days, reports The Mirror.
A drone was seen flying above the property on Monday, as members of the Defence Forces joined Gardaí in scouring the rugged terrain, which includes forest, streams, a river, outhouses, and rocky ground.
During the search, a bow and arrows were discovered in a cave on the land. But sources have urged caution, saying Gardaí are not linking the discovery directly to Michael’s disappearance at this point, reports The Mirror.
An American national, reportedly living in an outhouse on Michael’s farm, is being treated as a witness in the case. He may have been among the last people to see Michael and is currently cooperating with investigators while continuing to reside on the land.
Despite past incidents where Michael briefly went missing, Gardaí have not ruled out either tragic circumstances or foul play. Those who know him say this situation is entirely out of character and deeply worrying, reports The Mirror.
When approached at her home, roughly 3km from the farm, Michael’s wife Janice declined to speak with reporters. Sitting outside the house with her dog, she simply said: “No, sorry.”
Meanwhile, dozens of Michael’s sheep were sold at the local mart, a place where he was known to spend much of his time. His close friends, visibly emotional, declined to comment. Around 30 sheep fetched more than €3,000. This follows the sale of a number of weanling calves the previous week.
Speaking to the Mirror, mart owner and local councillor Dan McCarthy — a longtime friend of Michael — described the ongoing search as one of the largest he has ever witnessed, reports The Mirror.
“It’s incredibly worrying. His wife, sisters, and extended family remain in everyone’s thoughts. And the authorities, like the rest of us, are still feeling the same pain as they did on day one,” Dan said, reports The Mirror.
“I’d say it’s the biggest mystery we’ve ever seen here. For someone to vanish so suddenly without a trace — it’s hard to believe,” reports The Mirror.
Dan said continuing work at the mart has been difficult without Michael, who was a regular visitor and part of the farming community’s everyday life.
“Mike was someone I’d see nearly every day. Farmers are all the same in how they care for their animals — and when one of their own goes missing, it hits everyone. The support has been incredible. So many people have come out to help,” reports The Mirror.
According to Dan, Michael’s disappearance doesn’t make sense, especially since he left his wallet and phone behind in his brown RAV4, which remained parked in the farmyard.
“It’s a mystery. You’ll be doing something, and the thought will hit you again — where is he? What happened?”
He went on to describe the search efforts on the day Michael was reported missing, reports The Mirror.
“I got the call around 11:30 or 12 that Friday. A few of us went out to the farm and searched it thoroughly. It’s been searched several times since. They’re still checking new areas and the land around it,” reports The Mirror.
Dan made a plea to anyone who may have seen anything unusual near the farm on or around the date of the disappearance.
“It could be something small — a car, a person, something out of place. Someone must’ve seen something,” he said.
Kenmare Centra owner Robert Whyte, another friend of Michael’s, also spoke to the Mirror. His store provided Gardaí with CCTV footage showing Michael’s last confirmed public sighting on the morning of March 20, reports The Mirror.
In the footage, Michael is seen approaching the counter to buy phone credit. Robert said one of his staff members helped him and reported nothing unusual about the encounter.
“I’ve known Mike since school. He was in and out of the shop every day. A really decent man — always polite, always friendly. Nothing seemed off that day,” reports The Mirror.
Although Robert didn’t see him personally, his staff described the interaction as normal, with casual small talk.
Robert said customers continue to come in and talk about the case, which has gripped the local community.
“It’s frightening really — how someone can just disappear. He was so hardworking, really into rallying, and very well travelled. People are just stunned,” reports The Mirror.
“He was smart and respected, and nobody has a bad word to say about him. Everyone’s just frustrated now. The effort to find him has been huge — but there’s still no answers.”
Robert said he handed over all relevant CCTV footage to Gardaí, which shows Michael leaving the store and driving his jeep in the direction of town, reports The Mirror.
“The footage shows him driving off toward town. But there are so many rumours now — you don’t know what’s real. I’m not believing much at this stage,” reports The Mirror.
He said his staff member, who was also interviewed by Gardaí, confirmed that Michael showed no signs of distress in the shop.
“There was no indication of anything being wrong. But then again, people don’t just vanish. It makes no sense,” reports The Mirror.
In a statement last week, An Garda Síochána said they are not currently seeking further assistance from the public in the ongoing search.
“However, Gardaí continue to want to speak to any person who travelled on the N71 on Thursday 20th March and/ or any person who may have any camera footage, including dash-cam or CCTV, or any other images (video or still) from Thursday 20th March and Friday 21st March in the Kenmare town / Moll’s Gap (N71/ R568) area to provide that imagery to the Garda investigation team. Anyone with information on Michael’s whereabouts is asked to contact Killarney Garda Station on 064 667 1160, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station,” reports The Mirror.
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