DUNSINK LANE is a long, almost hidden, stretch of road snaking from the N3 near Blanchardstown and the M50, through to the Ratoath Road south west of Finglas.
It was off this lane, in St Joseph’s Park, that a man’s body as found in the boot of a crashed BMW 3-series at about 10pm on Sunday after gardaí were called to the scene.
Gardaí were yesterday seeking to speak to the driver of the car, which was stopped by gardaí on patrol before it was found crashed into a wall.
The man is described as in his late 20s, with short black hair. He spoke with a Dublin accent. Gardaí say the car was not stolen.
A small number of local people went about their business yesterday, entering and leaving the estate by car. But by and large, the laneway was deserted apart from a cluster of journalists and gardaí coming and going.
A number of young men walked out of St Joseph’s Park, and a few people rolled down their windows as they passed by. The minority who were willing to speak to the media said they believed the dead man was not from the area.
“Some woman is waking up to hear that. That’s some mother’s son in that boot,” said a woman leaving the estate in a car with a child in the passenger seat.
The BMW was covered with plastic sheeting, but the body of the dead man was visible when detectives lifted the covering.
Two uniformed gardaí were posted at the entrance to the estate and they stopped all vehicles entering and leaving and spoke to the occupants. In some cases, vehicles seeking to gain access were turned away.
Garda technical bureau detectives in white paper suits could be seen in the background examining the area. Uniformed gardaí carrying clipboards were also on the scene.
State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy arrived just before mid-day to carry out a preliminary examination on the man’s body. His remains were removed in an ambulance at about 1.30pm.
The car was later removed for further examination by gardaí.
The laneway is a haven for fly-by-night dumpers: rubbish of all sorts lying along the muddy road. A car registration plate here, bits of an old fridge there, a rust-coloured pile of what looks like burnt wiring, clothes and refuse sacks strewn as far as the eye can see. One journalist reported that two rats scurried from a ditch as he got out of his car.
In 2004, Dunsink Lane was at the centre of a dispute over access to Finglas village, after part of it was blocked off by Dublin city and Fingal county councils in an effort to bring an end to illegal dumping.
Gardaí have asked anyone who was in the St Joseph’s Park area of Finglas on Sunday night to contact them at Finglas Garda station on 01 666 7500 or on the Garda confidential number 1800 666 111.