Social Affairs

Cork soup kitchen volunteers call for better services after assaulted woman dies

Vanessa O’Callaghan (36) died in hospital after she was attacked by several people on Patrick Street last Sunday

Vanessa O’Callaghan (36): 'She was a lovely girl. Never bothered anybody'
Vanessa O’Callaghan (36): 'She was a lovely girl. Never bothered anybody'
Olivia Kelleher
Thu Dec 05 2024 - 11:28

Volunteers who organise regular soup kitchens in Cork have called for better services to be provided for vulnerable people such as Vanessa O’Callaghan (36) who died in hospital yesterday after being assaulted in the city centre last weekend.

A Kindness Krew soup kitchen was running outside the former Savoy Cinema in Patrick Street in Cork at around 8pm last Sunday when Ms O’Callaghan was attacked by up to three people.

Kindness Krew volunteer Roslyn Barrett went to the aid of Ms O’Callaghan. Ms Barrett and the other volunteers are trained in first aid so she provided CPR at the scene prior to the arrival of the emergency services.

She described Ms O’Callaghan as having been “quiet and mannerly”. In an interview with the Opinion Line on Cork’s 96FM Ms Barrett said she didn’t want Vanessa to be another “statistic”.

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“It is frightening what is going on and it is very sad that I am on the radio giving my condolences to Vanessa’s family. I hope they get peace.

“I knew Vanessa very well from our soup run. She was a lovely girl. Never bothered anybody. This unprovoked attack shoudn’t be happening to vulnerable people in the city,” Ms Barrett said.

“There are seven of us on the soup run who risk our lives every Wednesday and Sunday to go into town to feed these vulnerable people. Ninety-nine per cent of people appreciate what we give them and are hungry coming up for a second hot dinner.

“That shouldn’t be happening in this day and age. The city council and our Government need to see what is going on in our country. None of our homeless are ever provided with anything by our city council.”

One soup service user told Opinion Line that Ms O’Callaghan was a kind and generous person who once gave him a hundred euro she had found on the street. Another user said that Ms O’Callaghan would not have “hurt a fly”.

The Kindness Krew, comprised of volunteers who give hot food and drink to the homeless, posted on Facebook that Ms O’Callaghan “didn’t deserve” what happened to her. They expressed their hope that the Cork native would “rest in paradise”.

Street Angels, another voluntary group who assist the vulnerable in the city, posted that it had heard of the death of Vanessa “with a very heavy heart”.

“Rest in peace my angel. May you get the best bed in heaven. Heartbroken my friend. Please all say a prayer for her loving soul,” it posted on Facebook.

Both groups are organising vigils in memory of Ms O’Callaghan and will post details in their social media pages in the coming days.

Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Dan Boyle said that the death of Ms O’Callaghan was “an appalling event”.

“Questions always need to be asked about whether the amount and quality of the services are sufficient when an incident like this happens. We need to ask ourselves what we should be doing and how we should be doing better.”

A postmortem will be carried out today at Cork University Hospital to determine the course of the Garda investigation. However, the death is expected to be upgraded to a murder investigation.

CCTV footage from area businesses is being harvested and a large number of statements have been made. Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to the incident to contact them.

They have also asked that people who were in the area of Patrick Street between 7pm and 8pm on Sunday, and who may have video footage (including dash cam) contact Angelsea Garda station on 021 4522000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.