Woman set money aside for troubled son’s funeral before dying

A woman who did not want her troubled son to be buried in a pauper’s grave set aside money for his funeral before she died, an inquest has heard.

Dublin Coroner’s Court was told that Brendan Glynn suffered from mental health issues and developed a drug problem by the age of 14.

Mr Glynn, of Chester House, North Circular Road, Dublin 7, was 50 when he died on February 27th, 2016.

Cathal Glynn told the inquest into his brother’s death that he and his family had cared for Brendan after their mother died.

“She didn’t want her son buried as a pauper so she left money for his funeral,” he said. “She was looking after him, buying his clothes for him because he couldn’t be in the house.”

For the last two years of his life, Brendan Glynn lived at Chester House, which accommodates homeless adults, and the family regularly visited him there, the inquest heard.

Brendan Glynn told staff at Chester House he was not feeling well on the morning of his death and he was later found unresponsive in his room by a staff member.

Toxicity

A postmortem gave the cause of death as multiple drug toxicity with toxicology tests showing evidence of methadone and benzodiazepines in his system. The combination of the drugs had a sedative effect on Brendan Glynn’s central nervous system, the inquest heard.

“There is nothing to suggest this is a deliberate overdose in any way,” Coroner Dr Crona Gallagher said, as she returned a verdict of misadventure.

“Taking a number of different drugs together is a recognised risk factor. He certainly didn’t intend to harm himself or end his life, it’s just a tragic outcome of taking the medication.”

Mental health problems can fuel addiction problems, Dr Gallagher told the family.

“It is obvious to me that he was very well looked after and cared for by the family and by your late mother,” Dr Gallagher added.