Man (47) dies near homeless shelter in Cork

Gardaí hope a postmortem will establish exact cause of death of Polish national

Gardaí are hoping that a postmortem will establish the exact cause of death of a 47-year-old man in Cork city. File photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times
Gardaí are hoping that a postmortem will establish the exact cause of death of a 47-year-old man in Cork city. File photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times

Gardaí are hoping that a postmortem examination will establish the exact cause of death of a 47-year-old man whose body was found near a shelter for the homeless in Cork city on Saturday morning.

The body of the Polish national was found by a passerby at the junction of Anderson’s Street and Lower Oliver Plunkett Street, near the rear of a Cork Simon shelter, at about 7.30am this morning.

The man, who was covered by blankets and had been sleeping rough in a doorway, was unresponsive. The emergency services were alerted and paramedics attended at the scene, where the man was pronounced dead.

The man was identified to members of An Garda Síochána by a staff member of Cork Simon.

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The man’s body was removed to the city morgue at Cork University Hospital for a postmortem.

Gardaí don’t believe that the man was the victim of any foul play, and suspect he may have died as the result of a drugs overdose. They are hoping that a postmortem will establish the exact cause of the man’s death.

The man does not have any relatives living in Ireland and gardaí are seeking to notify his family back in Poland of his death before releasing his name. A Garda spokesman said that gardaí will now prepare a file on the man's death for an inquest at Cork City Coroner's Court.

Barry Roche

Barry Roche

Barry Roche is Southern Correspondent of The Irish Times