‘I basically lost my speech language skills. I didn't know how to communicate' – Dublin star Niamh Crowley on recovery from rare disease
After making a full recovery, Crowley (21) moved on with her life. She won her first All-Ireland senior football medal with Dublin two years ago and she'll play in their All-Ireland quarter-final with Cork at Parnell Park tomorrow. She completed an undergrad and is now studying for a master's. She is 10 years seizure-free.
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Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Cause of death of Offaly farmer, who died day after he married, unknown due to embalming
The cause of death of an Offaly farmer who married the day before he died, could not be determined because of embalming of the body, a pathologist told an inquest on Friday. Joseph Grogan of Screggan, Tullamore, on whose land this year's National Ploughing Championships, died on April 15th, 2023 at his home. His widow, Lisa Flaherty told the inquest of how her husband, a 75-year-old man diagnosed with stage four cancer, did not have to be lifted into a car after the marriage ceremony. Ms Flaherty said he had weighed 12 to 13 stone before he became ill but at the time of his death was just seven stone. The validity of the marriage had first been questioned in May when the inquest opened and Damien Tansey, SC, who appeared for relations of Mr Grogan, again asked questions about it when the full hearing began on Friday before Offaly County Coroner, Raymond Mahon. READ MORE A marriage certificate was handed into the court but Mr Tansey indicated that it could be contested in the High Court. There were tense exchanges between Mr Tansey and the coroner, plus the legal representative of Ms Flaherty, Stephen Byrne, BL. Widow of Joe Grogan, Lisa Flaherty, pictured outside the Coroner's Court in Offaly. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw / The Irish Times The inquest is inquiring into the death of Joseph (Joe) Grogan who died after undergoing four cycles of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with stage four Non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the stomach the previous December. The inquest was told by the pathologist who carried out a post mortem, Dr Charles d'Aldhemar, that he could identify no clear cause of the death because his examination was limited by previous embalming of the body. Dr d'Aldhemar said it was extremely unusual to be asked to carry out a post mortem on an embalmed body. Certain tests could not be done because of prior embalming and hence the cause of death was unascertained. The pathologist said embalming a body can prevent and limit toxicology and microbiology tests. Nonetheless he found from an examination of vitreous fluid that Zolidem [used for sleeping problems] and two antihistamines had been present in the body. Dr d'Aldhemar told Mr Tansey that when combined those three drugs could cause respiratory depression but it would depend on the levels and concentration. Coroner Raymond Mahon pictured outside Offaly Coroner's Court. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw / The Irish Times The inquest also heard from Dr Kanthi Perera, oncologist, Tullamore Hospital, that Mr Grogan had been responding well to chemotherapy and was due to be assessed for a further cycle before his death. Dr Perera said she had been surprised when she heard that Mr Grogan had died on April 15th, 2023 10 days after the last session of chemo therapy and said about 60 per cent of patients in his condition could survive for five years with successful further treatment. Sergeant Justine Reilly gave evidence that she learned on the evening of April 15th that Mr Grogan had died and his remains had been brought to Longford for embalming. Two days later she was requested to escort the remains from Mr Grogan's home to the mortuary in Tullamore where an undertaker, Martin Keyes, identified the deceased. Sergeant Reilly said she had been instructed by the coroner to bring the body to the mortuary and the circumstances were unusual. Enta Conroy, an elderly second cousin of the deceased described herself as a lifelong friend of his and visited him regularly at home. When she called on the afternoon of April 14th, she noticed Mr Grogan's condition had deteriorated again. A marriage was not mentioned, said Ms Conroy. She also told of her belief that she had not seen a priest at the house and she brought a crucifix and holy water into Mr Grogan. Ms Conroy said there had been no mention of a doctor in the days before Mr Grogan died. Dr A Ben Kato, a GP with Midoc, the Midlands out-of-hours service, gave evidence of pronouncing Mr Grogan dead after calling to his house and finding no clinical sign of life. He had never met Joseph Grogan before. Dr Kato said he reported the death into the system whereby it would go back to his own GP. He also said he had not given anyone authority to move the body from the house and he would not be able to give an opinion as to the cause of death. Dr Kato also said that another GP, Dr McHale, who was said to be Mr Grogan's GP, did not sign a death certificate because she had not seen the deceased. In a deposition read into the record, Dr Grainne McHale said that while she had taken over Mr Grogan's care from a Dr Scanlon, he had never come to the practice, she never met him and she never prescribed for him. Aidan Dignam, a paramedic, said that when he arrived at Mr Grogan's house and explained that he should go to hospital because he was dying, the man said he would not go back to the hospital because there was nothing they could do for him. In her own evidence, Lisa Flaherty said herself and Joe Grogan had been together for over 16 years having known each other since she was in her teens. Ms Flaherty said that in December 2022 Joe had gone to see Dr Shane Carroll in Banagher, Co Offaly and after bloods were taken he was diagnosed with cancer. They got married on the April 14th after that and the following day Joe did not want to go back to hospital because he wanted to stay at home and didn't want to go in the ambulance. He had everything arranged for his funeral and she was delighted when the undertaker told her that he could be embalmed and brought back home that night because he had said he did not want to be left on a slab anywhere. Ms Flaherty said that being brought away to a mortuary was 'the one thing he didn't want'. Under cross-examination by Mr Tansey, Ms Flaherty said she had been romantically linked with Mr Grogan but also agreed that she had a partner, Seamus Meacle, for a number of years. Ms Flaherty disputed evidence from Ms Conroy that a priest had not been to the house, saying that the local priest, Fr Michael Whittaker, had been in to see Mr Grogan daily before his death. Ms Flaherty, a special needs assistant in a school, said she had three children but none of them were Joe's. Ms Flaherty also denied that she had attempted to restrict visitors to Mr Grogan but said a 'no visitors' sign was put on the door around the time of chemo because of the threat of infection. On the day of his death she first contacted the oncology department and was advised to ring an ambulance. Her sister, Niamh Higgins, a psychiatric nurse, was present and she contacted Midoc. When Mr Tansey asked Ms Flaherty if it was fair to say the relationship between herself and Joe had never been consummated, Mr Byrne intervened and said in 35 years of practice he had never heard such a scandalous question being asked. The coroner ruled that he would not allow Mr Tansey's question. When she was cross examined by Mr Tansey again about her marriage when Mr Grogan was so ill she said that Joe had been transported to the registry office by car. She was certain he did not have to be lifted into a car when they came out of the registry office. Ms Flaherty was the final witness and Mr Mahon said the inquest will resume on Tuesday, July 15th.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ireland under-20s suffer hammer blow in world championship bid with defeat to Italy
World Rugby Under-20 Championship Pool C: Italy 18 Ireland 16 Ireland suffered a hammer blow in their bid to reach the semi-final stage of the World Rugby under-20 Championship after they fell to an agonising defeat at the hands of Italy in Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana last night. Added to the bench after Bobby Power was drafted into the starting line-up to replace Michael Foy at the 11th hour, Oisin Minogue crashed over the Italian whitewash in second half stoppage-time to leave Ireland with a last-gasp opportunity to claim a hard-earned draw against the tournament hosts. However, Sam Wisniewski's resulting conversion was wide of the target and while Ireland remain second in Pool C, the pressure is now on ahead of their meeting with pacesetters New Zealand in Calvisano next Wednesday. Ireland were seeking to make amends for a 15-12 defeat to Italy at Treviso in the final round of this year's under-20 Six Nations and they displayed early defensive grit by holding out their opponents as they attempted to cross over from a lineout maul. Ireland looked set to receive a let-off when opposition outhalf Roberto Fasti couldn't find touch off an 11th minute penalty, only for errors from both Charlie Molony and Paidi Farrell to immediately provide Italy with another platform inside the '22'. The hosts were able to go a step further on this occasion as the ensuing set-piece move found its way into the hands of bustling number 8 Nelson Casartelli, who proceeded to burst over the line in clinical style. READ MORE Ireland's Ciarán Mangan on the ball. Photograph: Sebastiano Pessina/Inpho This powerful finish was followed by a badly miscued bonus strike from Fasti and when outhalf Tom Wood (son of legendary former Irish international Keith Wood) was presented with a kickable opportunity on 25 minutes, the Munster prospect drilled the ball between the posts to reduce his side's deficit to two points. Try-scoring chances were few and far between in the opening period, but after winning the penalty himself thanks to superb work at the breakdown, Italian fullback Edoardo Todaro was successful off the kicking tee in the 36th minute. This ensured the Azzurri brought an 8-3 cushion into the second period, but Ireland were back within two on 52 minutes as a result of Wood splitting the uprights off a penalty that was positioned to the right of the posts. This kept the Eanna McCarthy-led Irish within touching distance, but Italy subsequently put themselves in the driving seat when second row Piero Gritti rounded off a ferocious attacking maul with a converted try. However, just when it looked like the game was drifting away from Ireland, they were given a lifeline when Casartelli was yellow-carded for a head high tackle on Molony. The 14-man Italians were placed on the back foot straight away and after Billy Corrigan had gathered a lineout delivery, McCarthy and Will Wootton combined to good effect before replacement hooker Mikey Yarr dived over in the right-corner for an unconverted effort. Momentum appeared to be with Ireland at this stage, but Corrigan was sent to the sinbin on 71 minutes – just as Casartelli was preparing himself for a return to the field of play. This paved the way for Todaro to slot over his second penalty of the contest and though Minogue bagged a five-pointer at the end of a relentless attacking spell, Wisniewski couldn't find the range from a right-hand angle as Ireland came up just short. Scorers – Italy: N Casartelli, P Gritti try each, E Todaro 2 pens, con. Ireland: M Yarr, O Minogue try each, T Wood 2 pen. ITALY: E Todaro; A Drago, F Zanandrea, R Casarin, J Ducros; R Fasti, N Beni; S Pelliccioli, N Corvasce, N Bolognini; M Midena, P Gritti; G Milano, C Bianchi, N Casartelli. Replacements: L Trevisan for Bolognini, E Opoku Gyamfi for Midena, A Caiolo-Serra for Corvasce, S Mistrulli for Pelliccioli all 54 mins; A Miranda for Bianchi, 57 mins; R Ioannucci for Drago, 62 mins; G Pietramala for Ducros, 68 mins; M Bellotto for Beni, 74 mins. IRELAND: C Molony; P Farrell, C Mangan, E Smyth, D Moloney; T Wood, W Wootton; A Usanov, H Walker, A Mullan; M Ronan, B Corrigan; B Power, E McCarthy, L Murphy. Replacements: C Kennelly for Ronan, 49 mins; M Yarr for Walker, B Bohan for Usanov, T McAllister for Mullan, all 53 mins; S Wisniewski for Wood, 60 mins; O Minogue for Power, 62 mins; C Logan for Wootton, 64 mins; Walker for Yarr, 79 mins. Referee: B Breakspear (Wales).
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Bohs and St Pat's play out stalemate to leave Stephen Kenny winless in six matches
Premier Division: St Patrick's Athletic 0 Bohemians 0 Park life. St Patrick's Athletic turn their attention to European football without a win in six matches. The 4,919 crowd inside Richmond Park were served everything but a goal to decide in this engrossing Dublin derby. Dayle Rooney and Ross Tierney went close for Bohemians but far too many St Pat's players missed the target. As Richard Ashcroft finished his set in Cardiff with Bitter Sweet Sympathy, Bohs were peacocking their new FAI Cup strip and the iconic Oasis logo around Dublin 8. READ MORE The Verve lead singer was opening for the seismic return of Noel and Liam Gallagher at The Principality stadium, the first gig of a lucrative second coming for the Manchester band. This was no cup match though. Bohs made an exception to show off their latest piece of innovative marketing. The sky-blue Oasis gear should help fill the club's coffers when Dalymount Park is under construction. Besides the stadium DJ playing Blur tunes at every opportunity, the Brit Pop revival was never going to overshadow the football. Not around Inchicore, where there was plenty at stake for Stephen Kenny's men coming off a winless June. 'We cannot believe ourselves that we have had such a poor two weeks,' wrote Kenny in his programme notes after St Pat's missed an 'inordinately high number of chances' to leave them in a comparable situation to last season when the former Republic of Ireland manager was recruited midseason. Kenny turned the tide in July 2024 as his team embarked on a run to the precipice of the Uefa Conference League group stages. That journey begins again on Thursday with the visit of Hegelmann from Lithuania. St Pat's created the better chances in the opening half-hour only for Bohs centre half Rob Cornwall to deny Aidan Keena and Simon Power. However, the visitors should have taken the lead in the 38th minute when new signing Douglas James-Taylor blazed over a cut back by James Clarke. James-Taylor arrived from Drogheda United this week to replace French striker Lys Mousset, who was unceremoniously released by Bohemians. St Pat's should have led at the break only Power's effort missed the target before Jason McClelland slammed a shot off the crossbar. Half-time welcomed dozens of kids on to the Richmond grass to the sound of Blur's Song 2. Kenny benched teenager Mason Melia and winger Zach Elbouzedi following last week's scoreless draw in Cork while their creative force, Chris Forrester, continues to return from injury. All three eventually arrived but the sight of Jake Mulraney limping off, holding his hamstring, is not what Kenny needs before a European campaign. The excellent Power put the ball in the Bohs net early in the second-half only for a premature linesman's flag for offside. Replays confirmed the match official's error. With Dawson Devoy being smothered by Barry Baggley in midfield, The Saints seemed certain to break the deadlock. Somehow Jordan Flores cleared Kian Leavy's toe poke off the goal line. That did it for Kenny. Melia arrived on the hour for Keena. The under-21 international showed for every ball, mostly supplied by Leavy, but Cornwall held firm. Ultimately, the poor quality of St Pat's final pass summed up their season so far. Elsewhere, with Shamrock Rovers facing Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds on Saturday night, Derry City closed the gap at the top to eight points with an emphatic 7-2 defeat of Waterford while the post-Damien Duff era at Tolka Park formally began as Joey O'Brien's Shelbourne beat Cork City 3-1. St Patrick's Athletic: Anang; McLaughlin (Kavanagh 75), Redmond, Grivosti, McClelland; Lennon, Baggley (Forrester 80); Power, Leavy (Sjoberg 75), Mulraney (Elbouzedi 80); Keena (Melia 61). Bohemians: Chorazka; Smith (Mountney 71), Cornwall, Flores, Morahan; Devoy, McDonnell (Buckley 71); Tierney, Clarke, Rooney; James-Taylor (Whelan 71). Referee: Rob Hennessy.
