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GARDAÍ HAVE LAUNCHED an appeal for help from the public to assist them in identifying four people found dead in the waters off the west coast.
Sources have said the appeal is part of a major drive by investigators to identify long term unidentified remains under Operation Oak.
The first appeal is focused on Rosses Point, Sligo on 16 June, 2009 where the body of a deceased man was discovered.
A spokesperson said that his body was taken to Sligo University Hospital where a post-mortem was carried out the following day. Following the examination, foul play in the case was ruled out.
“In the course of garda enquires, it was established that the deceased man had recently arrived in Sligo and had checked himself into a Hotel under a false name – ‘Peter Bergman’ on the 12 June.
“He was sighted and captured on CCTV in and around the Sligo area for a number days before he was found deceased at Rosses Point.
“Despite exhaustive enquires the body of the man known as ‘Peter Bergman’ has never been identified,” the spokesperson said.
There were a number of items found on rocks near where the he was discovered including a black leather Finn Comfort shoes, size 44, manufactured in 2002 in Germany; dark socks; a black leather C&A jacket; navy C&A chino trousers; a black sleeveless Tommy Hilfiger jumper; a black leather belt, called Key West USA, made in Italy.
The deceased is buried in an unmarked grave in Sligo Cemetery, he has never been identified.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Sligo Garda Station 071-9157000, The Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
Gardaí in County Clare said there are three people whose bodies were recovered in recent years off the coast who have not been identified.
The first case listed in the appeal is that of a female who was found on 14 August 2016, near Doolin, Co Clare by a member of the Burren sub-aqua unit during a training exercise.
The body was taken to the mortuary at University Hospital Limerick where a post-mortem was carried out. Following that forensic examination foul play was ruled out and a DNA sample was harvested.
Partial clothing on the body included denim jeans bearing the label Esmara and another item of clothing which was purple in colour bearing a size tag 40/42. A black belt with a woven pattern was also recovered.
The deceased has never been identified and was buried on 3 January 2018 at Drumcliffe Cemetery in Ennis, Co. Clare.
The second case is that of the body of a man who was discovered floating in the water off the Cliffs of Moher on 30 July, 2010.
Following a post mortem foul play was also ruled out in that case.
Clothing recovered on the deceased included; black socks and black Velcro strapped runners. The runners bore the label “Indonesia and Budapest”.
“A craniofacial reconstruction was carried out and an image produced by the University of Dundee in Scotland.
“The image was shown on Crimecall in October 2014, but the deceased has yet to be identified. His remains were buried on 30 July, 2010 at Drumcliff Cemetery, Ennis, Co. Clare,” a spokesperson said.
The final County Clare case relates to the discovery of the body of a woman on 4 October, 2018 floating in the water off the Cliffs of Moher.
The body was recovered by Doolin Coast Guard and transferred to Limerick Mortuary for a post-mortem which determined there was no foul play and a DNA sample was taken.
The body was that of an asian woman, approximately 5’ 8’’ in height of slim build and estimated to be aged in her early 50s.
Three items of jewellery were recovered on the body; a gold ring with the words “Caby” on the inside, a gold ring with green stones and a gold bracelet.
The deceased was buried on 2 April 2020 at Drumcliffe Cemetery in Ennis. To date she has never been identified.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Kilrush Garda Station 065 9080557, The Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
The current strategy isn’t working. It may seem like compassion, but the rest of us have rights too.
Its not fair to the rest of society that in Dublin the board walk along the Liffey and the O’Connell Street area are dangerous during the day and virtually no go areas at night.
@Fiasco99: If you think that part of town is dangerous, bring your Mommy next time.
@Fiasco99: no go areas? Slight overreaction there surely?
@Val Miggin: honestly, have you been in these areas? Particularly late on a week night when there are few pub goers and especially if it’s a dry night as many of the users choose not to go to a hostel.
It’s not a good place to be. I would not like a family member to be there.
The Gardai choose not to carry out policing here, I assume because it’s pointless bringing the drug users to court for yet another suspended sentence.
Methadone is just a park and containment strategy effectively giving addicts a free heroin substitute. It does nothing to address addiction. It’s obviously been adopted as policy as it is relatively inexpensive and somewhat effective in achieving its limited goals but it offers no real hope to those afflicted most of whom will be on it for the remainder of their shortened lives.
Methadone makes too much money for the health professionals and big pharma , it is the golden cow. It is ten times more addictive than heroin, they do not want to rock the boat.
@Mr Jerry Curtin: Twit.
methadone….I always feel it’s a bit like a cigarette smoker switching to just pipe / or cigar smoking-
@Frank Dubogovik: More like switching from Major to Silk Cut.
Far better to have mandatory residential centres to assist drug addicts get off their addiction
@Stephen Kearon: are you serious !?
@Cathal: sounds like a winner to me.
@Stephen Kearon:
I see your advertising your British poppy again Stephen, any chance Micheal Martin or any one in FF is going to be seen dead wearing one?
I think we need to work on the homeless situation and the issues with the health service . If people really wanted to get of drugs they would .
And trust me I know .
@Greg: really? Is there a magic pill or potion. Utter BS
I was employed as a counsellor for many years in a large methadone clinic in Dublin. Its not true that service users are excluded from a treatment plan . I personally know Doctors ,Counsellors , Nurses, Pharmacists and General assistants who put in many hours encouraging users to take part in treatment programmes. Doctors are very willing to reduce and end Methadone treatment. If the Service users are willing to take an active part in reduction programme’s ,which are available to all Service users. Lynn’s article is not correct in many respects . In order for Doctors or Pharmacists to dispense Methadone they have to carry out specialist intensive training . And the majority of community based Doctors do not have any inclination to do this training , as they do not want to work with those who are abusing drugs. Over the years that I worked in the clinic I saw Gran parents , Parents Daughters and Son’s all from the same family attending for Methadone treatment. For many , addiction passes down through the generations. There are very few programmes or interventions for Young Children to stop them going down the same road as their Parents and Gran Parents. I have also known many S.U who having come off all drugs including Methadone . Relapse because they have to go back and live on the streets or into Hostels that are nothing more than drug den’s with a bed for the night . I think Lynn Ruane would be better employed trying to do something about homelessness and lack of service’s for the Children I mention here. Rather than taking a cheap shot at the Staff in the clinics who are doing their best to provide a good service, under what are often very difficult circumstances.
“service users” watch out for that one.its what they’re calling prisoners now too.
It seems to me methadone sacrifices the individual drug user and their family. It is given to reduce offending and theft etc in cheapest way regardless of if it consigns the drug user into another dependency stupor. Individuals and their children etc deserve the chance to be drug free. Ultimately this will benefit society with functioning individuals and families who can contribute to society. Invest the money into counselling and residential services aimed at getting people drug free not invest in maintenance programmes that lock people into addiction substituting one drug for another
The central issue you highlight is the conceit of doctors, the so called ‘experts’ and how the political establishment is in thrall to their ‘expertise’. Methadone can be a life saver and is for many but many doctors believe that the best that can be achieved is to turn drug users into professional patients but above all also is their belief that they know best when in truth many have minimal understanding of drug users and addiction.
@Liam Hunter: Utter nonsense. You clearly dont know how this operates with individual clients. Maybe ask a GP in a practice that prescribes it.
@Margate: you have no idea how much I know about this..way back before even the protocols… As for ‘utter nonsense’…some of us have profound understanding of this issue going back as far as the eighties…where does yours emanate from ?
Short termism and quick fixes is what our political system and can kicking… the methadone programme is a case and point.
It’s a good time to raise the question Lynn, you may need to take this further in your position as Senator so that the policy is reviewed and recommendations dealt with before another 20 years passes. Good work but more steps are required other than an article in the Journal.
The major issues are policing of clinics , addict goes in to try come off hard drugs and are met on the way out by dealers peddling drugs/tablets . The fact that the clinical staff will not entertain addicts looking to reduce their dose isn’t a surprise when you see the monetary incentive to keep addicts on their books.
It’s a cash cow for doctors administering methadone to addicts.
I look forward to your night in Donore Youth Centrethis coming month. As someone who was involved in Treatment service development in the 90′s in Dublin. It sickening me to my stomach that successive govs pay millions for mrthadone. There’s no stomach by this gov or agencies to setup up a programme that take users of Heroin of methadone to a completely drug free lifestyle….just keep the merry go round spinning for big pharma.
There needs to be investment in residential detox.
Addicts going into prisons should be put on detox.
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