Film art director died after snorting ‘poppers’

A film industry art director died after snorting “poppers” while having phone sex, an inquest heard yesterday.

Darach Culhane-Nolan, aged 33, was found dead at his home on the Burrow Road in Sutton on Mar 16, 2011, having inhaled amyl nitrite, more commonly known as poppers, the night before.

Michael Scott, a prominent theatre director, told Dublin Coroner’s Court that he first met the deceased 10 days before his death. Mr Culhane-Nolan had just finished a contract on the Oscar- nominated film Albert Nobbs.

On the night of his death, Mr Culhane-Nolan had been out drinking in Howth and when he returned home, he and Mr Scott spoke on the phone.

Mr Scott said the deceased told him he was about to inhale poppers and he asked him not to. He then told Mr Scott that he had spilled some of the liquid into his nasal passage. He heard Mr Culhane-Nolan make a choking noise followed by snoring. He called back shortly after and received no answer, so assumed that Mr Culhane-Nolan had gone to sleep.

The deceased’s mother Frances Kelly asked why he had not called a doctor. Mr Scott replied that he had been “making love” to Mr Culhane-Nolan over the phone and that he had assumed that he had climaxed and, as a result, saw no cause for alarm.

Mr Culhane-Nolan was found the next day by his mother when she attempted to wake him. One of his eyes was open, she said, and his head was cold to the touch.

The emergency services attended the scene but Mr Culhane-Nolan had already been dead for at least 12 hours.

An autopsy found the cause of death was cardiac dysrhythmia — an irregular heartbeat that can lead to cardiac arrest — linked to the inhalation of amyl nitrite.

Coroner Dr Brian Farrell returned a verdict of death by misadventure.