Man ‘never recovered from death of partner’

A man who lost his partner in a Luas accident never recovered after her death, an inquest has heard.

Owen Kirwan, from Darndale in Dublin was heartbroken after the loss of his partner Ann Marie McQuillan, 32, who was hit by the tram as it pulled into the Blackhorse platform in Inchicore on June 28, 2012.

Previously, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard how Ms McQuillan was caught between the platform and the tram and sustained serious head and body injuries. A jury ruled her death was accidental.

Owen Kirwan, 40, took his own life just over two years after the death of his girlfriend on November 25, 2014. An inquest into his death heard he had sustained a serious leg injury in July 2013, in a hit and run not far from where his girlfriend was killed, further adding to his burden.

Mr Kirwan’s brother, Raymond, was concerned about his brother’s welfare and offered to stay overnight with him the night before his death. His brother’s mood was low and his eyes were dark, Mr Kirwan told Dublin Coroner’s Court.

“Around 4.15am he came into the sitting room and offered me the cigarette he was smoking. He said ‘I’ll see you later bro’,” Raymond Kirwan told the court.

About 6.30am he heard his nephew moving in the apartment looking for his father. He saw the front door locked and went looking for his brother and found him in the bedroom. Owen Kirwan was rushed to Beaumont Hospital but was pronounced dead at 7.50am on November 25, 2014.

Garda Karen Caswell met family members at the Kirwan home. “He had suffered from depression since the sad loss of his partner two years previously,” she said.

Medical reports detailed chronic leg pain due to an injury together with low mood, anxiety and depression. The cause of death was asphyxia. Coroner Myra Cullinane returned a verdict of suicide.