'A lovely lady': Rough sleeper found dead on Dublin street named locally

Flowers left in memory of Ann Delaney. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

A rough sleeper who was found dead in Dublin on Sunday has been named locally as 47-year-old Ann Delaney. 

The mother of one from Co Laois was found in a sleeping bag close to a Tesco supermarket on Aungier Street. She is understood to have been living rough for at least seven years, firstly on Thomas Street and then on Aungier Street.

Numerous flowers and candles have been left at the spot where she slept and where her body was discovered.

Chris O’Reilly, who has run the Liberty Soup Run for the last five years, said Ms Delaney was a “lovely lady, a real character” and a lot of people would have known her.

“She was alive early on Sunday but then she suddenly became unresponsive. We don’t know her cause of death, whether the dropping temperatures might have been a factor or not.

“Paramedics were called but unfortunately Ann passed away. We are heartbroken and lost for words. Another homeless person died on our streets and it’s just so wrong.

Mr O’Reilly said the woman "was just going through a hard time".

"She had a family and a life and she just fell on hard times. We want to send our love to all of her family. She will be missed but she is at peace now. We still can't believe that this lady has passed away.” 

Ann Delaney. Picture: RIP.ie

Mr O’Reilly said she went through a lot living on the streets and had been beaten up on at least one occasion.

“Ann slept rough as she was afraid to stay in the homeless hostels. Her family would come to visit her to see how she was. She loved music and Aslan and was a wonderful poet.” 

Liberty Soup Run is planning an official “goodbye” to Ms Delaney at 8pm on Monday.

A death notice for Ms Delaney was published on Monday with funeral details yet to be announced. The notice read that Ann was the "beloved daughter of Mary and the late Tom".

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She is "sadly missed" by her loving daughter Saoirse, mother, brothers Thomas, John, Ciaran and Paul, sisters Siobhán, Tricia, Roisin and Emer and wider family.

Last month, the body of Stephen Clarke, from Dundrum was found on St Andrew’s Street in the early hours of January 9.

It comes as the latest figures have shown the number of people using emergency accommodation are at record levels. The latest figures from the Department of Housing show that 9,504 adults and 4,027 children were in emergency accommodation in January.