Homeless man found dead in Dublin waste depot had lost two friends in Grand Canal tragedy

Discovery and investigation

At about 9pm on Friday, July 24, workers at the Greyhound Recycling facility in Clondalkin, Dublin, discovered the remains of Andrew Haire, a 35-year-old homeless man. A postmortem examination was carried out on Saturday, but the results were inconclusive, and gardaí have not ruled out foul play. Toxicology tests and other analyses are awaited and may help determine the cause of death; the results will not be released for operational reasons. The investigation is being led by gardaí from Ronanstown and Lucan stations in Dublin, with assistance from colleagues in Cork, as Haire had been using homeless services in both cities.

Last known movements

CCTV footage captured Haire on Plunkett Street in Cork city centre on the morning of Thursday, July 23. Gardaí are now studying images from Kent Railway Station in Cork to determine whether he boarded a train to Dublin later that day. He had engaged with homeless services in Cork that same day, marking the last confirmed contact before his death. The period of interest for investigators runs from Friday, July 17, to Friday, July 24, during which Haire is believed to have been in Dublin, Kilkenny, and Cork city centres.

Possible scenarios

One line of inquiry is that Haire may have climbed into a large wheelie bin, of the type used by businesses and apartment blocks, to sleep, and died before the bin was collected by a refuse truck and transported to the Clondalkin depot. However, gardaí are also investigating whether his remains were placed in a bin after death. Waste from both Dublin and Cork is processed at the facility, which complicates efforts to trace the exact origin of the bin.

Victim's background and past tragedy

Haire, originally from Co Meath, had been homeless for about seven years. He had stayed for a period at a hostel on Gardiner Street in Dublin's north inner city and had recently spent time in Kilkenny. He was availing of welfare and homeless services in both Dublin and Cork. Two years ago, he lost two friends who died in the Grand Canal in Dublin; he had been sharing a tent with one of them and was very close to both. Homeless service providers who knew him described him as "lovely" and "quiet".

Gardaí appeal and company response

Gardaí have released a photograph of Haire and are asking anyone who saw or interacted with him between July 17 and July 24 to contact Ronanstown Garda Station at 01 666 7700 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111. They are hopeful that the information released will prompt people who knew him in Cork and Dublin to come forward and help piece together his final days. A family liaison officer has been appointed to support Haire's family. Aveen Moore, communications manager for Greyhound Recycling, said the company was "deeply saddened" and is cooperating fully with the investigation.

We were deeply saddened by the death of Mr Andrew Haire, whose body was found at our recycling facility in Clondalkin on the evening of Friday 24 July. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. We are co-operating fully with An Garda Síochána and will continue to give their investigation every assistance.