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Irish Times
22-07-2025
- Irish Times
Joe Grogan inquest: Millionaire farmer died the day after he was married
An inquest doesn't typically hear questions about the consummation of a relationship or the validity of a marriage certificate, and it's not usual for there to be so many lawyers in a coroner's court. But when there's a farm, valued at €5.5 million at stake, and the circumstances around the death are somewhat confused, it's perhaps to be expected. The three-day inquest into the death of wealthy farmer Joe Grogan (75) at his home on April 15th, 2023 heard questions that a coroner's court is not there to answer. Its job is to establish cause of death. Grogan had been married the previous day, to his long-time friend and sometime carer Lisa Flaherty. A clear cause of death could not be established because he had been embalmed within hours. His 220-acre farm at Screggan, near Tullamore is well-known having hosted the National Ploughing Championships for two years and is set to do so again this year. As his widow, Flaherty stands to inherit his estate. READ MORE Members of Grogan's family questioned the validity of the marriage – they said they were unaware it had taken place – and there were heated scenes in the court. Ultimately the coroner Raymond Mahon ruled that the newly-wed farmer probably died of an infection associated with his stage-four cancer, his immune system being compromised because of chemotherapy and significant weight loss. He said the evidence did not support a finding of unlawful killing as had been suggested and he rejected calls by Grogan's extended family to refer the circumstances of the death to the Garda. Irish Times reporter Colm Keena was in court to hear the verdict and explains the background. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
The Sun
16-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Millionaire, 75, died a DAY after marrying girlfriend, 50, who inherited his fortune after he was embalmed within hours
A MILLIONAIRE farmer who died just a day after marrying his girlfriend was embalmed with "undue haste" an inquest has heard. Joseph Grogan 75, died a day after marrying his girlfriend Lisa Flaherty, 50, in April 2023. 6 6 6 Flaherty now stands to inherit Joseph's 220 acre farm in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly, which is valued at €5.5 million (£4.77 million). Mr Grogan was diagnosed in early January 2023 with stage 4, high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He underwent four rounds of chemotherapy, developing infections after two of them. But, the court heard he had been responding well to treatment. Mr Grogen died at his home at around 3pm on April 15, 2023, a day after marrying Ms Flaherty at a registry office. The coroner said Mr Grogan's death was likely due to a "probability of infection" with his immune system compromised. But he was embalmed within a matter of hours, a time frame Coroner Raymond Mahon said made it difficult to determine a definitive cause of death. During a three-day inquest, Peter Jones, the solicitor representing Mr Grogan's 90-year-old aunt said "an awful lot of unanswered questions" remain. He also pointed to the "undue haste" with which he said Mr Grogan's remains were taken to be embalmed. Barrister Damien Tansey, representing Mr Grogan's cousins, pushed for the Gardai to conduct a forensic investigation before the coroner came to a decision. 6 6 Coroner Mahon, however, dismissed the suggestion. According to Mr Tansey Mr Grogan's death, which he called "sudden and unexpected" had caused a stir in the community. He went on to claim that the concerns raised by residents of the local area and the medical community had not been addressed by the inquest. A pathologist had confirmed that cancer had not been the cause of death, and neither was organ failure. Pathologist Charles d'Adhemar had warned that if the three medications Mr Grogan had been prescribed were not administered correctly, it could depress his respiratory and nervous systems. Mr Tansey claimed that the speedy embalming procedure meant the pathologist could not test for drugs in the deceased's system. Ms Flaherty had repeatedly claimed that her husband had inoperable, stage four cancer and was at the end of life stage - something his family disputed. Mr Tansey said "none of that evidence is true or accurate." Ms Flaherty also claimed to have been in a long term relationship with Mr Grogan, despite having several other partners and three children with other men. She claimed their relationship began when she was just 16, a claim Mr Tansey said caused a great deal of anxiety to the Grogan family. He added that the secrecy of the marriage was concerning. Ms Flaherty's sister is said to have not known about the marriage until the day after it had happened. The coroner said he would not rule on the validity of the marriage between Mr Grogan and Ms Flaherty. And Stephen Byrne, representing Ms Flaherty, said that Mr Tansey had all but accused her of causing Mr Grogan's death. He went on to say that he had been concerned the inquest into Mr Grogan's death would be used to attack the good name of Ms Flaherty. He added that the threshold for further investigation, valid, legitimate suspicions, had not been met. Friends or family of Mr Grogan could have gone over Ms Flaherty's head and called a doctor but did not, he said. Mr Byrne continued, saying that the person who stepped up and cared for Mr Grogan - Ms Flaherty - had been "dragged over the coals." Mr Byrne said: "He knew his own body, and he knew he was not going to beat this [cancer]." 6 On the day of Mr Grogan's death Ms Flaherty's sister and neighbour, a psychiatric nurse with a qualification in palliative care, had been called and told Mr Grogan's condition was deteriorating. After arriving at his house she was told by Ms Flaherty that she had called an ambulance at around 10:30 am. She said she was told the paramedic advised that palliative care in would not be available until Monday, and that Mr Grogan had said he wanted to stay at home. Mr Tansey would go on to question a number of other people at the inquest including Mr Martin Keyes – a lorry driver, part-time undertaker and family friend. Mr Tansey asked: "Why did you remove the body with such indecent haste to be embalmed?" And Mr Keyes replied: "There was no haste. It was about 7.30pm by the time I took Joe Grogan to Longford. He died at 3pm I think." Further questions were then raised about why Mr Grogan's body had been released without a doctors permission, which Ms Flaherty had told Mr Keyes she had received. Mr Keyes agreed that he had never seen a death certificate for Mr Grogan and knew now that the doctor on call could not have given his consent for the body to be removed, as he was not Mr Grogan's treating GP. The inquest ultimately ruled that Mr Grogan died of natural causes linked to cancer and his treatment. The coroner said Mr Grogan's death was likely due to a "probability of infection" with his immune system compromised. He added that there were "valid concerns" about Mr Grogan's care but said it must be remembered that the deceased was very reluctant to see a doctor. The three-day-long inquest at a court in Tullamore came to a close today, July 16, with Ms Flaherty fleeing from the court in tears.
