Growing up in Drogheda

candycock

SCOL wrote: »

A homeless man lay dead in Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green for a number of hours before he was discovered, an inquest heard.
Derek Buchan (39) originally from Drogheda, Co Louth had no permanent address but used homeless hostels in the city, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard.
He was found lying face down in foliage at the Leeson Street end of St Stephen’s Green on January 30th, 2016.
It was beginning to get dark as Park Constable David Morgan and his three colleagues were locking the park at 4.20pm, the court heard.
“I was locking the two small gates at the Leeson Street end of the park around when I saw a person lying in the bushes. I saw the figure of a man lying face down,” Mr Morgan said.
‘Free spirit’
He noted drug paraphernalia and attempted to rouse the man before calling emergency services, he said.
“It was an area where people used to go in to sleep and use drugs,” Mr Morgan said.
All four park constables lock the park in the evenings, checking bushes and shrubbery for people. Mr Morgan said the bushes where Mr Buchan was found had since been cut down.
The man’s sister, Mary McCabe said he was a ‘free spirit’ whom she hoped was now at peace.
His possessions included a rosary beads, a scapular and €65.
“He was a free spirit, he wouldn’t settle anywhere, he was always wandering around. He used to come to me every Christmas but we didn’t see him that year,” Ms McCabe told the court.
Gardaí and Dublin Fire Brigade attended the scene and Mr Buchan was pronounced dead at 5.45pm. The doctor who pronounced his death noted that he had been dead for a number of hours before he was found.
A postmortem examination gave the cause of death as a drug overdose, with evidence of heroin and the sleep medication zopiclone found in his system.

Just seen this post and I'm curious to know of a young man that i use to see regularly around drogheda mostly on west street, i think he may of had mental health problems and alcoholic or substance use,this was around 2012-2013 i often wondered what became of him.

I've a fella in mind but I don't really want to post a name. The guy I'm thinking of would have been maybe 30 at that time and would have been reasonably polite when asking for money but could turn nasty when under the influence. Around the time you mention he was becoming increasingly more volatile and was imprisoned that year. It's funny a family member only mentioned to me recently that she hadn't seen or heard of him in years eithers.

I'd have had friends that went to school with this guy and by all accounts he was a decent guy, and from a well respected family with a business in town. No idea what went wrong for him in life but I suppose with addiction it can get a hold of anyone.

Hopefully he's doing ok whatever became of him.

Actually saw the man I mentioned in my last post on West St. the other morning. Still has his issues unfortunately.

candycock

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Actually saw the man I mentioned in my last post on West St. the other morning. Still has his issues unfortunately.

Really sad to see him suffering, ii hope one day here's peace I'm sure it's hard on his family.

Hard to believe I left Drogheda before many of the contributors to this thread were born.


Fusciardi's amusements on the corner of West St and Stockwell St.


Fellas trying to kick your head in at the White Horse, or just looking like they might. None of your West Court guff then.


The Cool Pool. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.


Coffee and a Gold Bond in Callan's. Hard to tell which tasted worse. :eek:



The Carlton. I think someone already mentioned the stainless steel bowls for the ice cream.



The Bull Ring and John St before the dual carriageway was built, but I was only a kid then.


Two Genoas. I had a slight preference for the one on James St.


There was a Wimpy on Laurence St, which had two way traffic in those days, but by the mid-70s it was gone.


I worked in both the Boyne Valley (pre Luciano's) and the Rosnaree. Come to think of it, I did a stint in the Village out in Bettystown as well. Feck, I used to walk all the way home after a shift - and not always sober.



Brendan was (I think) the name of the chap with the northern accent who used to sell the polio bingo cards. "Help the Poliooooo vicTIMS"


McCool the DJ.



Sitting on the steps of St. Peter's on Saturdays in the 70s.



School discos in assorted locations (Boyne Valley usually the best), and Ógras céilis in the O'Raghallaighs.


Nearly 40 years since I moved out. Jaysus, the years fly.

Pixell

Does anyone remember a computer game shop in the 90's in west street were you could buy C64 tapes along with other platforms which were in a glass cabinet? As far as I remember the entrance to the shop was like a small shopping mall with a key cutting place on the left I think and the computer shop was on the right and that door entrance was diagonal to the street.

Also it would be fun if anyone can find any photos of all the computer game shops mentioned here like Hardy Electrical, Live and Learn etc.

gipi

I don't remember the shop, but the description of the premises sounds like the shopping mall that was opposite the Moorland café.

blingrhino

Yep, Keymobile on the left on the way in. .west end arcade.