The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast: The mystery of Bill Fitzgibbon

A man found confused in Ballincollig in 1986 spent decades in care without ever being identified

A new appeal aims to identify ‘Bill Fitzgibbon’, who lived in Cork care for 40 years.

Found at a bus stop in Ballincollig in 1986, unable to tell gardaí who he was or where he was from, the mystery man christened Bill Fitzgibbon by healthcare workers spent almost four decades in the care system before his death five years ago.

There was never a public appeal to trace his family, no DNA testing was carried out, and no photographs were released — until now.

‘Bill’ lived for almost 40 years in the care of staff at St Stephen’s Hospital in Glanmire. Yet somewhere in the English-speaking world, there may be family members who never knew what became of him.

Barry Cummins wrote about the unusual case in the Irish Examiner over the weekend. He is now hoping a new appeal by gardaí will help trace relatives of the man who became known as Bill Fitzgibbon.

Barry is this week's guest on the Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast.