Inquest finds homeless man who died in tent lived on streets to protect grandmother from covid

Relatives of Thomas 'Tomo' Dowling expressed concern that he had been placed in a “wet” hostel by the homeless services

Aaron Walker, left and Dylan Walker, sons of the late Thomas Dowling at the Dublin District Coroner's Court this evening. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

A homeless man who died in a tent in Dublin’s north inner city two years ago had only begun living on the streets to reduce the risk of infecting his elderly grandmother with covid-19, an inquest has heard.

Thomas “Tomo” Dowling (44), a father of seven who originally came from Finglas, was found unresponsive in the tent of a friend on Loftus Lane behind the Cineworld cinema complex on Parnell Street in the early hours of March 21, 2022.