The family of a Co Wexford man who died in Midlands Prison is calling for an independent inquiry into the circumstances.
Colm Connolly (46) from Murrintown had been an inmate at the Co Laois prison since December 2024 until his death on April 1st.
His aunt Mary Bolger and uncles Peadar and Billy Keane are seeking legal advice in an effort to uncover what happened to their nephew in the lead-up to his death.
Speaking about the death for the first time, they said they wanted to know why they were not informed they could have formally identified his body and why a postmortem was carried out without their knowledge.
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In December 2024 Connolly was given a three-year prison sentence, with six months suspended, for criminal damage, driving offences and assault.
He was due to be released this October, eight months early due to his good behaviour.
Connolly was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 15 years ago and was on daily medication.
On the morning of his death, it is understood a number of prison officers were called to Connolly’s cell, which he had been sharing with two other men, due to him being in an agitated state. The family do not know whether he was taking his medication.
They believe that as the prison staff were placing him in another observation cell he became unresponsive. Medical help was summoned and he was given CPR but he was pronounced dead at 9.15am. His body was taken to Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise for a postmortem examination, the results of which the family say they have not received.
His aunt and uncles – Connolly’s parents Ann and Eddie are deceased – say they have a lot of questions arising from reports in the media around what happened to their nephew when he was taken from one cell to another.
“We are Colm’s voice now and we have to do right by him,” Peadar said.
Connolly had no other underlying medical conditions and his family say he had regularly taken his medication.
His uncle Billy said he learned of his nephew’s death from the prison chaplain, and was told the governor would be in contact, but was given no details of the incident.
“I then called my other siblings and told them the news. We all started phoning the prison that day to try to find out what happened and to speak to the governor. We must have made around 40 phone calls on that day alone and more the next day. No one was telling us anything.”
The following evening, Billy received a call from the governor but, he says, he was again given no details of the death.
The first time they saw their nephew’s remains was in a funeral home in Wexford town on April 3rd.
“We want an independent inquiry to investigate what happened to Colm, not prison authorities investigating each other.”
The family have had one meeting with prison authorities since their nephew’s death, on Friday, April 17th. They were accompanied by local Aontú councillor and family friend Jim Codd.
“He was such a popular person. There was a huge level of upset even when Colm was given his jail sentence as he was so liked by the community,” said Codd.
Guidelines from the Office of the Inspectorate of Prisons state the prison governor should notify next of kin of the death of a loved one as soon as possible and that formal identification of a relative is required by being present in person or by photograph.
In a statement the Irish Prison Service said: “As the death in custody is currently subject to investigation by An Garda Síochána and the Inspector of Prisons, with the cause of death to be determined by the Coroner’s Court, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”
