22-07-2025
Widow, 50, of millionaire, 75, who died a DAY after wedding ‘broken' by claims she ‘engineered' death to inherit fortune
THE widow of a millionaire who died a day after their wedding is "broken" by claims she "engineered" his death for money.
Mum-of-three Lisa Flaherty, who is 50, married dying landowner Joseph Grogan, who was 75, in secret.
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He knew he didn't have long to live after a long fight with blood cancer and had no children.
So he married his partner and gave her the right to inherit his estate - but shockingly he died just 24 hours later.
Lisa now stands to inherit his 220 acre farm in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly, which is valued at €5.5 million (£4.77 million).
The timing prompted a slew of claims about Lisa being a gold digger who married him for his money.
More insidious claims suggested she had known the millionaire farmer was dying and saw an opportunity to get her hands on the estate.
She moved in with him in January 2023 to become his carer when he was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He died three months later.
But they previously dated in 1991 - when she was just 16 and he was 41.
Lisa went on to marry another man and had three kids who are now in their 20s.
But her friends told the Mail that the pair remained close.
They said she is "broken" after lawyers for the Grogan family questioned her credibility.
Joe Keys, a friend of Mr Grogan, said: "The world can think what it wants but how Lisa has been portrayed is not right.
"They were both wonderful people who were very well respected in this community. Lisa didn't care for Joe because she wanted his money, that's total rubbish."
A close friend of Ms Flaherty said: "It does sound a bit strange, but this is rural Ireland, strange things happen."
The friends and locals claimed Mr Grogan and Lisa remained very involved in one another's lives.
However his family insist he was a bachelor, and claimed they were excluded from being involved in his life as his health went downhill.
They didn't know Lisa and Mr Grogan had got married and only found out he had passed away after being told by a friend.
The coroner said Mr Grogan's death was likely due to a "probability of infection" with his immune system compromised.
But he was embalmed within a matter of hours, a time frame Coroner Raymond Mahon said made it difficult to determine a definitive cause of death.
A SECRET MARRIAGE
During a three-day inquest, Peter Jones, the solicitor representing Mr Grogan's 90-year-old aunt said "an awful lot of unanswered questions" remain.
He also pointed to the "undue haste" with which he said the farmer's remains were taken to be embalmed.
Barrister Damien Tansey, representing Mr Grogan's cousins, pushed for the Gardai to conduct a forensic investigation before the coroner came to a decision.
Coroner Mahon, however, dismissed the suggestion.
According to Mr Tansey Mr Grogan's death, which he called "sudden and unexpected" had caused a stir in the community.
He went on to claim that the concerns raised by residents of the local area and the medical community had not been addressed by the inquest.
A pathologist had confirmed that cancer had not been the cause of death, and neither was organ failure.
Pathologist Charles d'Adhemar had warned that if the three medications Mr Grogan had been prescribed were not administered correctly, it could depress his respiratory and nervous systems.
Mr Tansey claimed that the speedy embalming procedure meant the pathologist could not test for drugs in the deceased's system.
Lisa had repeatedly claimed that her husband had inoperable, stage four cancer and was at the end of life stage - something his family disputed.
He added that the secrecy of the marriage was concerning.
The coroner said he would not rule on the validity of the marriage.
And Stephen Byrne, representing Lisa, said that Mr Tansey had all but accused her of causing Mr Grogan's death.
He went on to say that he had been concerned the inquest into Mr Grogan's death would be used to attack her good name.
Mr Byrne continued, saying that the person who stepped up and cared for Mr Grogan - Lisa - had been "dragged over the coals."
Mr Byrne said: "He knew his own body, and he knew he was not going to beat this [cancer]."
The inquest ultimately ruled that Mr Grogan died of natural causes linked to cancer and his treatment.
He added that there were "valid concerns" about Mr Grogan's care but said it must be remembered that the deceased was very reluctant to see a doctor.
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