Bid to repatriate remains of homeless Czech man fails

Ennis is to be the eternal home for Czech national Josef Pavelka after efforts to repatriate the man’s body to his native country have failed.

The body of the homeless alcoholic was found in a laneway beside Ennis’s O’Connell Street on May 4.

In April, Mr Pavelka’s plight received national attention when District Court judge Patrick Durcan said it was a scandal Mr Pavelka was living in a public toilet.

Gardaí, through the Czech embassy in Dublin and Interpol, had been in contact with a daughter and sister of Mr Pavelka concerning the repatriation of the 52-year-old’s body. However, his family have confirmed that they will not seek the repatriation of Mr Pavelka’s body.

Mr Pavelka will be buried at Drumcliffe cemetery in Ennis next Tuesday and the Health Service Executive (HSE) is to foot the funeral expenses with Clare Co Council providing a plot.

Friend of Mr Pavelka Fr Tom Hogan said yesterday: “The people of Ennis will be delighted to hear they will be able to pay their respects to Josef as we have had numerous requests from people over the last 10 days asking will he be laid to rest here.”

Fr Hogan said: “Josef was a believer and a church-goer and he probably knew more people in Ennis than he did in his native place.”

Friend of Mr Pavelka and volunteer with the homeless charity, Homeless Education and Learning Project (HELP), Anthony McDonagh said: “Josef was well loved in Ennis. He had a lot of friends here.”

Mr McDonagh confirmed that Josef’s best friend, Polish national Piotr Baram, “is settling in well” at a treatment centre for alcohol addiction which he entered earlier this week.