‘It left me without anything’: Farmer found dead on Cork road lost his home in fire recently
A 77-year-old retired farmer who lost all of his possessions following a house fire two months ago was found dead on a road in Bandon, Co Cork, on Saturday morning.Gardaí in the town are investigating the death of Gus Dempsey. They were alerted after the pensioner was found unresponsive in the Kildarra area of Bandon shortly after 6.30am yesterday. He was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.The coroner has been notified and the deceased has been removed to the mortuary at Cork University Hospital. A postmortem will guide the Garda investigation. However, foul play is not suspected.Mr Dempsey, who was a bachelor, lost his home in Horsehill, Ballinadee, near Bandon on May 5th after a blaze broke out.READ MOREDublin’s new tallest building: This tower of darkness should never have been allowed‘I was asked if I was a terrorist every day’: The Mayo woman helping expats make a soft landing in the UKMairead McGuinness leads the field in a list of potential presidential election candidates, poll shows Grown-up Gaeltacht: ‘The week I spent in Ring - the people I met, the culture - was the best thing I could have done’He stayed with a neighbour following the fire and was also approved for emergency accommodation by Cork County Council.Mr Dempsey was featured in a recent edition of the Southern Star newspaper where he said that he farmed all his life and wanted to stay living in the countryside.He told the newspaper he was fortunate not to have been home when the fire broke out at his rural property.“Thank God I was out when the fire took hold but it has left me without anything. All the top floor went. There was smoke and water damage and everything downstairs was destroyed. It is gone,” he told the Southern Star. “I was living there since early 1993 so it was a bit of a shock. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. I had little bits and pieces, mementos inside that were precious. They were lost which is an awful shame. I was very sad about it”. Independent Ireland TD Michael Collins recently raised his plight in the Dáil. While commenting on a housing motion he spoke of the absence of social housing in west Cork and said Mr Dempsey was keen to remain living in a rural community.Meanwhile, gardaí are appealing for witnesses to come forward over his death. In particular, they are seeking information regarding a male seen cycling on roads in the vicinity of Kildarra early on Saturday morning.Additionally, any road users who may have camera footage (including dashcam) and were travelling in the area at the time are asked to make it available to officers. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Bandon Garda station on 023 885 2200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
