A GROUP of schoolgirls from a Dublin college discovered the body of a young man hanging from a tree in a public park, Dublin City Coroner's Court heard yesterday.
A number of students availed of counselling from a psychologist after coming across the dead man, who had been released recently from Mountjoy Prison.
The jury at yesterday's inquest recorded a verdict of death by suicide in the case of Mr Liam Lynch (22), of Lorcan Grove, Santry, Dublin.
The inquest before the City Coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, heard how three young students of Margaret Aylward Community College in Whitehall went to the vice principal, Ms Cliona Hickey, at 1.30 p.m. on November 7th, 1996. They told her that a man was hanging in Ellenfield Park, close to the tennis courts, and that there were other girls from the college at the scene.
Ms Hickey said she telephoned the gardai and the students were taken into a room and given tea. The girls' parents were contacted and the following Monday they were given counselling by a psychologist in the college. "Some of them were very traumatised by it," Ms Hickey told the inquest.
The jury heard that Mr Lynch had been released from Mountjoy Prison after a period of three months, shortly before he died. On his release, he attempted to see his baby son Ryan, but the child's mother, Ms Evelyn Hannon, had told him not to visit her or the boy, according to a friend, Ms Bernie Dolan.
She said that after Mr Lynch's rearrest he told her that if he had to spend any more time away from his son, he would kill himself.
Ms Hannon said she had had a relationship with Mr Lynch between September 1992 and June 1996. Their son Ryan was three years old at the time of Mr Lynch's death.
She told the inquest how Mr Ryan had begged her to see him and for access to his child. On one occasion he was crying on the telephone. He suggested that it would be better if he was dead, but she told him not to be stupid.
She stressed that there was a court order prohibiting Mr Lynch from seeing his sin.
Garda Liam Cummins, from Whitehall Garda station, said a note to Ms Hannon was found on, the deceased at the scene. He was hanging by a blue nylon rope in Ellenfield Park, Whitehall.