Conditions at overworked Dublin mortuary 'a ticking time bomb', funeral director says

Chief state pathologist Linda Mulligan previously told the Irish Examiner that the work of the Office of the State Pathologist was being limited due to capacity issues at the mortuary. File picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

Dublin’s main mortuary is projected to operate at over twice its intended capacity and facilitate a record number of post-mortem examinations, despite “urgent” concerns raised by the Department of Justice about its operational capacity.

The mortuary, located in a former Garda station in Whitehall in North Dublin, was originally intended to facilitate around 400 autopsies every year but has already conducted 565 through the first six months of 2026.

President of the Irish Association of Funeral Directors Fintan Cooney, who runs a network of 13 Dublin-based funeral directories, said the conditions of the mortuary represent “a ticking time bomb.” 

He said if capacity issues are not addressed, families could face a heavily impacted waiting time for burial of loved ones.

The mortuary in Whitehall was originally a Garda station, and was renovated a decade ago as plans for a state-of-the-art facility in Marino fell through due to the economic crash.

“The facility in Whitehall, as I understand it, was only ever intended to be an interim facility. It has limited capacity in terms of its physical space,” Mr Cooney said.

He said an insufficient amount of space places limits on the facility’s operational capacity.

“Even if they worked 24/7, they probably don't have enough rooms to do all the autopsies in. You only get through so much, and even if you start working Saturdays and Sundays and long days and so on, you'll only increase the capacity a certain amount.” 

While plans for a new Dublin mortuary are included in the national development plan for 2026-2035, he said: “The track record on this isn't good.”

In an internal memo issued to justice minister Jim O’Callaghan last year, civil servants raised alarm bells over the overburdened facility.

“The DDM is operating well beyond its capacity, which poses ongoing risks to the staff and the integrity of the service,” read the memo.

“The workload of the DDM has considerably outgrown the building’s operational capacity and a solution to this situation is urgently required.” 

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The mortuary facilitates almost 60% of Dublin’s coroner-ordered autopsies, as well as the work of the Office of the State Pathologist that is tasked with investigating the State’s high-profile murders and suspicious deaths.

Ireland’s chief state pathologist Linda Mulligan previously told the Irish Examiner that the work of the Office of the State Pathologist was being limited due to capacity issues at the mortuary.

“Access is limited because they're dealing with increased workload; they prioritize locally the non-suspicious death cases, and it's understandable, they're not our mortuaries, they're not Department of Justice facilities, and it's the HSE staff who assist us in the post-mortem examinations,” she said.