THERE was a time when the rituals of death were clear-cut: The deceased was laid to rest, loved ones mourned, and the hope was that the hurt would heal with the passage of time.

IMAGINE the heartbreak of having to end the grievously damaged life of a loved one by turning off a life-support machine.

LAST night mystery surrounded the death of a young mother found in her home on the northside of Cork city yesterday morning.

A NEIGHBOURHOOD on the north side of Cork City was in a state of bewilderment yesterday as people tried to understand how a young mother died in her home.