The inquest into the death of a Dublin man found hanging in the Phoenix Park in September last year returned an open verdict at the Dublin Coroner's Court.
The body of Mr Patrick Nolan (49), Ballyfermot Road, Dublin, was discovered at 8 a.m. on September 13th hanging from a tree by joggers. Gardaí were called and Mr Nolan's body was taken down.
Several beer cans, as well as two notes, one addressed to the dead man's family and one to the gardaí, were found close by.
The post mortem into Mr Nolan's death revealed "extraordinarily high" quantities of alcohol in his system. At the inquest, relatives of Mr Nolan said he had no prior history of mental illness or depression.
Deputy Dublin City Coroner, Dr Maria Colbert, yesterday said in delivering the open verdict, that while the presence of notes gave an indication of wanting to take his own life, the extremely high levels of alcohol in his system at the time of death meant he was not thinking clearly.
Earlier, the court heard the inquest into the death of a man in his 20s who died as a result of a lethal mix of drugs and alcohol in August last year.
Mr William Murphy (26), with a home address in Athlone, was found by emergency service workers on the morning of August 1st, lying face up on the steps of a Franciscan Chapel on Merchant's Quay, Dublin.
He had no pulse and attempts to resuscitate him failed. He was pronounced dead on arrival at St James's Hospital.
Reading the post mortem report, Dr Colbert said Mr Murphy was in poor general health, with some liver and lung problems. Mr Murphy, who had a history of drug usage had taken a mixture of alcohol, morphine and other drugs and died as a result of the mixture of substances in his body.
The inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure. Speaking to members of the Murphy family in the court, Dr Colbert said Mr Murphy "was in very poor health for someone as young as him", and his neglect of his own well-being played a factor in his death.
The court also heard the inquest into the death of Mr Michael Kelly (49), North Circular Road, Dublin, in July 2003.
His son, Mr Michael Kelly junior, found his father's body in his flat after his family had become concerned for his whereabouts. Mr Kelly and other members of the family had made several attempts to phone their father, but had failed to make contact. On the night of July 11th, 2003, Mr Kelly called to his father's flat and asked the porter to open the door, as he was concerned for his father's safety.
The court heard that on entering the flat, a bed sheet was seen hanging over the bedroom door. The body of Mr Kelly was discovered and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Kelly had battled depression for almost nine years prior to his death. The court returned a verdict of death by suicide.