Body of unknown man exhumed from Cork graveyard in bid to identify him

Olivia Kelleher

The remains of a man have been exhumed from a grave at a cemetery in Co Cork as efforts are underway to identify him 25 years after his body was recovered from a river in Cork city.

The exhumation took place on Tuesday morning at St Patrick’s Cemetery in Bandon.

Members of the Garda Missing Persons Unit were present as the remains were removed from the grave under the guidance of a forensic anthropologist.

The remains were taken to the morgue at Cork University Hospital. DNA specimens taken from the remains will now be analysed by scientists at Forensic Science Ireland.

Efforts to identify the remains failed when he was taken from the River Lee in Cork city in 1999. At the time his fingerprints could not be analysed as his body was badly decomposed. It is hoped that, given the advances in DNA, a match could be found for the man.

The body of the man was found on the banks of the Lee in July 1999. A Philip Mercier silver watch with a gold face was on his left wrist. Wooden rosary beads and three religious medals were also found on his person, as well as a medal in the shape of a horse shoe on which was written the name MacGinty.

Meanwhile, locals in Bandon tend to the grave of the unidentified man. Flowers and ornaments are often placed on it.

A headstone states: “Pray for the soul of a man whose name is known to God alone. Interred here on the 25th of October 1999.

A plaque has also been placed on the grave with the words: “Here lies some mother’s son. Interred 25th October 1999. Rest in Peace.”