THE FAMILY OF an English man who died of alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking at a well-known hotel in Thurles is to pursue civil action against the hotel over his death.

The development comes after the two barmen on duty on the night of Graham Parish’s death were yesterday acquitted of manslaughter, when a judge directed a jury to find them not guilty of the charges.

The landmark case at Nenagh Circuit Criminal Court found that the two men could not be held responsible, when Judge Tom Teehan found that Parish had made a personal decision to consume the alcohol on June 30, 2008, as he celebrated his 26th birthday with a group of friends.

Although the barmen were found to have been negligent in serving such a volume of alcohol, Teehan said it had not been proven that the barmen had caused Parish’s death.

Parish’s parents, David and Julie, are now to pursue civil action against the Mulcahy Hotel group which owns Hayes’.

High Court records show that papers were lodged in court by the family’s solicitor, Anne Fitzpatrick & Co of Thurles, on March 2 this year.

The Mulcahy Group is to contest the claim, which could take around 18 months to be heard.