A man who returned home to Dublin after he retired from teaching in Saudi Arabia believed he was a failure because he could not afford to buy a home in Ireland, an inquest has heard.
Michael Griffin (66) a single man who came originally from Foxrock, was reported missing to gardaí by relatives on October 6th 2022 after they became concerned when he could not be contacted on his phone.
A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Tuesday heard a badly decomposed body found in the water off Howth on October 21st 2022 was later identified as Mr Griffin following a matching of dental records and DNA taken from his toothbrush and razor.
An aunt of the deceased, Catherine Noone, told the inquest that her nephew had become more down since he had returned to Ireland in September 2022 because he felt stupid and a failure at not having money to buy a house here.
Ms Noone said he had helped other family members with mortgages but had lost money during the financial crash in 2008.
She said it was also unusual that her nephew had not contacted his usual group of friends in Ireland, whom he would visit during his annual holiday back home, after he had returned to Dublin following his retirement from teaching in Saudi Arabia.
“I’m not sure if it was depression, but he was not himself,” said Ms Noone.
She recalled him remarking that he wished that he had stayed in Saudi Arabia and “just died there.”
However, when she asked him if he was thinking of doing “something stupid,” he replied: “Of course not.”
Ms Noone also said they were aware that two of their relatives had both died from a heart attack when they were aged 66.
Statement
In a statement provided to gardaí at a time when he was still believed missing, Mr Griffin’s niece, Louise Grech, said he was planning to go to live in the UK in the short term.
Ms Grech said he had plans to rent a place for six months in London with a friend who had just gone through a divorce.
The inquest heard Mr Griffin had attended Blackrock College and UCD before embarking on a career in teaching English which brought him to the UK, the US, Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
The coroner, Cróna Gallagher, was informed that he had stayed in a number of hostels and hotels in Dublin on his return from Saudi Arabia while he was deciding on his future plans.
Ms Grech described her uncle as an intelligent man who was “very quiet and private” but who had always kept in contact with relatives while he worked abroad.
She also recalled that he had felt a failure at not having a home after all the years he had spent working abroad, but had found Ireland too expensive to buy property.
Ms Grech said her uncle had spoken of settling in mainland Spain.
Detective Sergeant Micheal Galligan said Mr Griffin had been staying at the Kinlay Hostel on Lord Edward Street in Dublin at the time he was reported missing.
CCTV footgae
The inquest heard the last sighting of the deceased was on CCTV footage captured when he was walking on O’Connell Street on October 6th, 2022 after he had taken €40 cash from a nearby ATM.
Det Sgt Galligan said extensive checks with taxi drivers, ports and airports had found no evidence that he had left the country on a ferry or airplane.
He said CCTV footage was also checked on Dún Laoghaire pier where Mr Griffin was known to visit.
Garda Thomas Pemberton gave evidence that the RNLI lifeboat in Howth had recovered a body on October 21st 2022 after it had been spotted in the water by a German tourist.
Garda Pemberton said the lifeboat’s crew had estimated that the body had been in the water for 10-14 days.
Under questioning from the coroner, he said it was impossible to say where the deceased had entered the water.
However, he said it was possible that tides could have carried the body from places like Dún Laoghaire or Wicklow.
Garda Pemberton said no trace had ever been found of the rucksack that Mr Griffin had with him at the time he went missing.
The inquest heard that postmortem results showed fractures to the deceased’s body had occurred after he had died and were probably due to tidal movements and hitting rocks.
Dr Gallagher said there was no evidence of any third party role in his death.
She said the postmortem had also revealed a narrowing of his arteries which could have put him at risk of a sudden heart attack.
However, the coroner said the exact cause of death could not be established due to the length of time Mr Griffin’s body had been in the water.
Returning an open verdict, Dr Gallagher noted that the low mood observed in Mr Griffin by his relatives was counterbalanced by the fact that he was also engaged in forward planning in relation to the lock-up, renewing his driving licence and moving to England.
Offering her condolences to Mr Griffin’s relatives on what was “unpleasant and upsetting evidence”, the coroner said he was “a very accomplished person who had led an interesting life.”
She also remarked that nobody would agree with the deceased’s observation that he was a failure because he was not able to buy a house.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
You can also freephone the national Bereavement Support Line run by the HSE and Irish Hospice Foundation at 1800-80 70 77 (Monday-Friday 10am-1pm), and the contact information for a range of mental health supports is available at mentalhealthireland.ie/get-support/.
