A woman sleeping rough was found dead in Dublin city centre over the weekend.
Ann Delaney (47) was discovered on Sunday morning. Her death is believed to be the second known death of a rough sleeper in the country.
Ms Delaney, originally from Carlow, was found in a sleeping bag close to a Tesco supermarket on Aungier Street.
A nurse and a mother, Ms Delaney is understood to have been living rough for at least seven years, first on Thomas Street, and then she moved to Aungier Street.
Numerous flowers and candles were left at the spot where she slept and where her body was discovered.
Chris O’Reilly, who has managed the Liberty Soup Run for the last five years, said Ann was a “lovely lady, a real character” and a lot of people would have known her.
“She passed away sadly on Sunday morning. She was alive early on Sunday, but then she suddenly became unresponsive. We don’t know her cause of death whether the dropping temperatures might have been a factor or not.
“Paramedics were called, but unfortunately Ann passed away. We are heartbroken and lost for words. Another homeless person died on our streets and that’s just so wrong.
“Ann was a lovely lady and was well liked. She was just going through a hard time. She had a family and a life and she just fell on hard times.
"We want to send our love to all of her family. She will be missed but she is at peace now. We still can't believe that this lady has passed away.”
Mr O’Reilly said she went through a lot of living on the streets and had been beaten up on at least one occasion.
“Ann slept rough as she was afraid to stay in the homeless hostels. Her family would come to visit her to see how she was. She loved music and Aslan and was a wonderful poet.”
Liberty Soup Run is planning an official “goodbye” to Ms Delaney at 8pm. Several songs she was known to love will be played along with balloons being released in her memory.
A woman, who knew her as Ann, said on social media: “Ann no longer sought shelter and (in) the last few weeks it was clear to see her health go down. I'm sure the stress and constantly being robbed on the streets did not help, but that did not take away from the person she was.
“You would see her everyday feeding the birds pouring her water and ice onto the pavement and having chats with the locals at Aungier Street. She never asked you to buy anything in the shop without trying to give you the money. RIP Ann, you are out of your pain now.”
Ms Delaney’s remains are understood to have been taken to the City Morgue and her funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.
