A WOMAN who died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in a Co Cork hotel over the weekend had been examined by a doctor in the hotel about six hours earlier after complaining of feeling unwell during the night.
Miriam Reidy (35), from Ballyhahill in west Limerick, had texted her cousin, Mairéad, at about 4.30am on Sunday to say she was feeling unwell in her room in the Trident Hotel in Kinsale. Some time later a GP from Southdoc came to the hotel where he examined Ms Reidy.
It was unclear last night what treatment Ms Reidy received but she remained at the hotel along with her sister, Patricia, with whom she was sharing a room on the first floor.
Both were found unconscious in the room by other friends at 1pm on Sunday after they failed to meet the rest of the group.
Ms Reidy was pronounced dead at the scene, while her sister was brought by ambulance to Cork University Hospital. According to a hospital spokeswoman, she was in a stable condition last night.
Earlier on Saturday night a Cork couple who had been staying at the hotel had complained of feeling unwell.
They were brought to Cork University Hospital for treatment after a GP from Southdoc examined them at the hotel and called for an ambulance.
It is understood the couple had been staying in a room close to the Reidy sisters’ bedroom.
When the couple arrived at the hospital shortly after midnight on Saturday, they were complaining of headaches and nausea. The man was treated at the A&E department and was discharged at about 6am on Sunday. The woman was admitted to hospital and hospital authorities later contacted the man and asked him to return for further monitoring.
There was no comment from Southdoc last night.
The Trident Hotel managing director Hal McElroy declined to comment on any specific incident because of the official investigation being undertaken by the Garda. However, Mr McElroy confirmed staff would follow standard procedure if a guest were taken ill or needed medical attention.
This would involve staff contacting a doctor and later escorting the doctor to the guest’s room and leaving them in privacy unless requested to stay.
According to Garda sources, a postmortem examination by assistant State pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster on the body of Ms Reidy has so far proven inconclusive.
Gardaí are hoping the results of further toxicology tests will reveal more about the cause of death.
Garda technical experts yesterday began an examination of the LPG-fuelled heating system at the 75-bedroom hotel.
They will be joined today by a heating engineering expert from Britain to try and establish if there was any build-up or discharge of carbon monoxide into the room of the Reidys.
The room is on stilts at the seaward side of the hotel.
The Reidy sisters were part of a group of 25 friends attending a hen weekend in Kinsale for her cousin, Marie Reidy, who is due to marry Brendan Fitzgerald in Ballyhahill on February 12th.
Her parents, John and Josie, and her other sister, Siobhán, were yesterday maintaining a vigil at the bedside of Patricia as the local community at Ballyhahill struggled to come to terms with the tragedy.
Parish priest Fr Gerard O’Leary said the Reidy family were well known and hugely respected in Ballyhahill and beyond, and would have the support of the very closely-knit community in their time of need.
“My thoughts and, indeed, the thoughts of the entire parish of Ballyhahill and Loughill, are with the Reidy family in this time of great sadness and suffering. For a social weekend to end up in such tragedy is unimaginable.
“Our prayers are for the soul of Miriam, a delightful young woman who was full of joy and happiness, as well, of course, for the recovery of her sister Patricia.”
Fr O’Leary added that he had spoken to the Reidy family who were devastated.