This article is from page 6 of the 2006-09-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
THE father of a 22-year-old Clare man who died by suicide said that his son shot himself in “a moment of madness”.
“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. The whole house is destroyed from what happened and we are even thinking of leaving this home where we have spent all our lives,” the man said, after the Clare Coroner’s Court recorded an open verdict in the death.
The Clare man heard a loud noise that he thought was the sound of a toilet seat banging down, shortly after his son came home from a night out. He discovered his dead son slumped against the door of the bathroom after forcing the door open.
“Our son was home at 12.30 and dead at 12.50. You question what happened all the time, but I remember the undertaker saying there is no point, because all the answers are gone with our son.”
The father told The Clare People that no note was left by his son. However, he believes that the apparent suicide was connected to a friend of his son who committed suicide three weeks beforehand.
“I believe that it was a copy-cat thing. It was a moment of madness and it gets harder to try to deal with it. We just can’t handle it. He came into the sitting room asking about CDs, but I believe that he was going to his brother’s room looking for shot-gun cartridges.
Paying tribute to his son, the father said, “He was a model son. He never caused us any bother.
“He was a bubbly young man and talking to friends he was out with on the night, they said that he was on top of the world. He was a brilliant boy, intelligent and brilliant at the work he did.”
The inquest heard how taxi-driver Dermot Walsh gave the man a fare from O’Connell Square in Ennis. Mr Walsh said that they had a general chat and the man appeared to be in good form.
After dropping the man off, Mr Walsh said that he was given a €2 tip on top of the fare by the man.
Pathologist Dr Peter Fawl said that the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Alcohol levels in the man’s blood were 302 milligrams per litre and urine tests show that alcohol levels were 226 milligrams per litre.
The legal limit for driving is 107 milligrams per litre in urine tests, while it is 80 milligrams per litre in blood tests.
County Coroner, Isobel O’Dea said that the 22-year-old died from a single shotgun to the head and gave an open verdict in the case.
She said, “I am mindful that we heard evidence that the man wasn’t suffering from depression and was in good form and there is insufficient evidence to record any other verdict.
“I am satisfied that there was no third party involvement and I sympathise with the man’s family for their very sad and tragic loss.”
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Moosajee Bhamjee said, “Family members or friends should not over-question themselves over a suicide. It can lead to people unnecessarily feeling guilty.
“Family members and friends can avail of counselling through Clare Links or be referred for counselling through their GP. One has to worry that when friends commit suicide. It influences behaviour and brings about copy-cat suicides. Also, excess levels of alcohol reduce self-control and people do things that they wouldn’t normally do.”
The contact number for Clare Samaritans is 1850 60 90 90.