Dublin Canal Deaths: Two Men Found Dead in Grand CanalDublin Canal Deaths: Two Men Found Dead in Grand Canal Two Irish men were found dead in Dublin’s Grand Canal on Saturday, July 7, 2024. The victims, who were in their 40s, had been sleeping in two tents near the canal at Grand Parade. Passers-by reported seeing the bodies in the water at approximately 8am, prompting a response from Gardaí. Firefighters trained in water rescue retrieved the men from the canal, but they were pronounced dead at the scene. Gardaí cordoned off the area and launched an investigation. According to a witness, one of the men told officers that he had heard screams during the night. Investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy examination. The victims’ tents were located near a group of tents occupied by applicants for international protection (IPAs). Some of the IPA residents reported sleeping through the incident. Divers recovered items from the canal, including a wheeled suitcase, beer barrels, and personal effects. Forensic specialists examined the tents and the confiscated items. A manager at the nearby Hilton Hotel stated that the tents had been set up approximately 10 days ago and that the hotel had been in contact with police to have them removed. Local Fianna Fáil MP Jim O’Callaghan expressed concern about the incident, highlighting the dangers of homelessness. The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) offered condolences to the victims’ families and friends. The DRHE emphasized that ample emergency accommodation is available in Dublin and encouraged those in need to contact their local authorities or download the Rough Sleeper Alert app. The Grand Canal has become a popular spot for IPAs, as the area around the International Protection Office has been blocked off. However, since Simon Harris became Prime Minister, much of the canal area has been fenced off, leaving limited green space for tents. The victims’ tents were situated on a secluded strip of grass near the water’s edge.
A man staying in a tent near the spot where two bodies were fished out of Dublin’s Grand Canal yesterday told Gardaí he heard screams during the night.
Gardaí were last night continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two men.
They are both in their forties and have Irish nationality. In the days before the incident, they had been sleeping on the street in two tents that they had pitched near the canal at Grand Parade.
Gardai carry out searches in Dublin’s Grand Parade after the bodies of two men were recovered from the Grand Canal this morning. Photo Date: Saturday 6th July 2024.
Yesterday at approximately 8am, Gardaí responded to a report from passers-by of two bodies being seen in the canal.
Firefighters trained in water rescue rescues recovered the men, dressed in waders. The men were identified by police last night, but their names have not yet been released. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Firefighters, trained in water rescue, donned waders and retrieved the men – who were identified but not yet named by police last night – and pronounced dead at the scene. (Photo: Sam Boal Collins Photos)
Investigators are awaiting the results of the autopsy examination of the victims’ remains.
Their tents were across the water, a short distance upstream, from several dozen other tents set up by applicants for international protection (IPAs) near Charlemont Place.
Some of these men in the IPA area said they slept through the incident, on a cold, rainy night in the capital.
According to a police officer who was at the scene, one of the men told officers he had heard screams during the night and was taken in to give a statement.
After the area was cordoned off in the morning, members of the Garda Water Unit and forensic specialists arrived in the afternoon to try to establish what had happened to the men.
Among the items recovered from the canal by Garda divers were a wheeled suitcase, beer barrels and various personal effects. (Photo: Sam Boal Collins Photos)
Among the items recovered from the canal by Garda divers were a suitcase, beer barrels and various personal belongings.
A number of items found were packed up and handed over to the forensic team, who also examined the inside of the two tents of the deceased.
A manager at the nearby Hilton Hotel said all the tents, including that of the deceased, had appeared about 10 days to two weeks ago.
The manager said the hotel had been in constant contact with police to have all the tents removed.
06.07.2024. Two bodies Grand Canal. Photo shows: A Garda Corden around the Charlemont luas bridge on the Grand Canal, where two bodies were discovered early this morning. Photo: Sam Boal Collins Photos
Local Fianna Fáil MP Jim O’Callaghan said it was “an extremely worrying development that two men have died in the constituency”.
Mr O’Callaghan said the incident “underscores the inappropriateness and danger of people living in tents”.
Dangerous: the men probably slept in two tents that were right on the water.
“We need to provide housing and we need to make sure that this doesn’t become normalized, that these tent camps just keep popping up.”
A spokesperson for the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) expressed its condolences on behalf of the organisation to the families and friends of the men.
“The DRHE has been in contact with An Garda Síochána and is awaiting confirmation of the identities of the individuals before we can confirm whether they were known to the homeless shelter,” he said.
The DRHE stressed that there is ample emergency accommodation in Dublin and encouraged anyone seeking accommodation to contact their local authority.
Search: A Garda diver hands over evidence found in the canal where the tragic couple died to forensic experts.
“We encourage people to download the Rough Sleeper Alert app to help teams support those most at risk,” the spokesperson said.
The Grand Canal has become a popular spot for applicants for international protection waiting for suitable accommodation, since the pavement around the International Protection Office on Mount Street was blocked off with barriers.
Since Simon Harris became Prime Minister, much of the area along the canal has been fenced off, leaving hardly any soft grass areas along the banks.
The tents of the deceased men were on a strip of grass where there was no public path. On one side the tent was sheltered by a wall, but on the other side they were less than half a meter from the water.
