Man believed to have died in Cork during 'horseplay' with friends

When he fell unconscious, a friend reportedly administered CPR before paramedics arrived. He was rushed to nearby Cork University Hospital at but was pronounced dead.

A man who tragically died in Cork at the weekend is believed to have fallen unconscious during 'horseplay' with friends after a night out.

Colm Casey, 28, described as “popular” and “a lovely lad”, who is said to have enjoyed wrestling, was playing with friends in the back garden of a house at Eagle Valley, Wilton.

When he fell unconscious, a friend reportedly administered CPR before paramedics arrived. He was rushed to nearby Cork University Hospital at 1.10am on Saturday but was pronounced dead in hospital.

A criminal investigation was launched following the unexplained death.

The scene in Eagle Valley in Wilton was forensically examined and a postmortem was carried out. The results were not released for operational reasons. Mr Casey’s body was to be returned to his family home in Keel, Macroom.

His death notice on rip.ie said that Mr Casey’s funeral will take place privately, in keeping with current government guidelines on public gatherings.

Messages flooded onto the site today, as mourners, one of whom described Mr Casey as "the nicest fella you could meet" shared their condolences with his family.  

He was a past pupil of De La Salle College in Macroom and is understood to have worked for a customer service company in Cork city.  

Local priest in Macroom Father John Keane said there were "no words" for the tragedy suffered by the Casey family.

"It is shocking. There are no words for it at all. In any circumstances it is not right for a family to bury a son or daughter. When I go to the family there is nothing I can say only be as compassionate as I can be. We will walk with them and support them."

Local Fine Gael Councillor Ted Lucey extended his condolences to the Casey family on the tragic loss of Colm.

"I knew Colm through Macroom GAA. He was a nice footballer and a quiet boy. I feel very sorry for his family and friends. He was a good footballer. He played quite a bit of underage football."

An incident room has been established in Togher Garda Station. Anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí on 021 4947120.