Gardaí were last night trying to positively identify the bodies of two homeless people who were found dead within a 12-hour period on the south side of Dublin city centre, writes John Downes
The remains of the two deceased, one male and one female, were found separately within walking distance of the Camden Street and Harcourt Street areas of the city.
The body of the female, understood to have been in her 30s and sleeping rough, was discovered lying in a back alleyway off Camden Street at 10pm on Thursday evening.
The second body was discovered at 8.45am yesterday by staff at the nearby Sancta Maria hostel on Charlemont Street, after he failed to come down for breakfast.
Management at the hostel yesterday refused to comment on the incident.
However, it is understood that the man, thought to be in his late 30s or early 40s, had been staying in emergency accommodation at the hostel for between four and five days.
He had stayed there once before.
The scene of the homeless woman's death was sealed off by gardaí yesterday afternoon pending further forensic investigation.
One homeless man, who is said to have known the woman well, described her as someone "who would do anything for you.
"She would always look to cheer you up, no matter how little money she had . . . She would give you some of her can, even if it was all she had," he said.
Gardaí are confident neither death is suspicious, although a full postmortem is expected to be carried out.
A spokeswoman for the Garda press office said the identity of both of the deceased had been established provisionally .
However, gardaí are awaiting the formal positive identification of the bodies.
A 2004 survey conducted by homeless organisations in Dublin city, and coordinated by the Homeless Agency, indicated that some 237 people sleep rough in Dublin city centre on a regular basis.
These people are vulnerable to changes in the weather, violence, abuse and sexual exploitation.
When contacted for comment, Alice Leahy, director of the homeless charity Trust, said homeless people dying on the streets of Dublin is now "almost a weekly occurrence".
She said her organisation has seen a marked increase in the number of people looking to use its services.
"It is horrific that two people have been found dead geographically so near to each other," she said.
"We're not hearing about these deaths. It is a very serious issue and we can't deny it."