The body of a homeless man in his 30s was found in Cork city centre this Monday afternoon.
Gardaí say that they are not treating the death of the man as suspicious but hope a post-mortem at Cork University Hospital on Tuesday will clarify the exact cause of the man’s death.
The man was found lying on Horgan’s Quay on the north side of the River Lee, near the city centre, at around noon by a member of the public who alerted the emergency services.
Paramedics attended but the man was pronounced dead; gardaí were alerted and cordoned off the area as they carried out a preliminary examination of the scene.
The area where the man’s body was found is often frequented by homeless people and it is understood the man had been availing of services provided by Cork Simon based on nearby Anderson’s Quay.
The man, who is from Cork city, may have been suffering from an underlying medical condition, it is understood.
Gardaí will now prepare a file on his death for an inquest at Cork City Coroner’s Court.
The death is the second on Cork's streets in the space of four days and follows the death of a man in his 30s from Passage West who was found dead near the bus station on Parnell Place last Friday morning.
The man had addiction issues in the past and had previously availed of Cork Simon services as well. However, it is understood he had recovered and his death came as a shock to those who knew him.
And earlier this month, gardaí found the body of another man who had been living rough and had overdosed behind a dumpster not far from the Garda station on Anglesea Street near the city centre.
Homeless services
According to a spokesman for Cork Simon, homeless services in Cork continue to be under pressure but the charity is managing to find beds every night for those who have no homes to go to.
"The service continues to be under pressure and our shelter on Anderson Quay is full every night with 47-50 people ... but we will find a bed for people with a bit of juggling.
“We opened our Nightlight Service in November 2017 – it was supposed to be for the winter but we’ve kept it going. It’s basically mattresses on the floor of our day service centre by night.
“At the moment we are catering for 16 or 17 people through that so between the shelter itself and the Nightlight service we are catering for close to 70 people a night in Cork if they need a bed.”
According to the Cork Simon spokesman, about 20 per cent of those availing of its services are women, while the age of those with whom it works range from some in their teenage years to people in their 70s.
