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Special Report: Complete national policy needed for cold cases
''Mystery surrounds body recovered in Cork in 1999
Good luck McGinty
A body recovered in Ballincollig in 1999 has never been identified despite the recovery of a distinctive medal that said Good Luck MacGinty on it.
One of the greatest advocates for missing people in Ireland, RTÉ reporter Barry Cummins, is adamant that we should never stop looking for answers for those who no longer have a voice.
His heavily-detailed works on behalf of missing people, as well as families whose loved ones have been victims of the worst crimes, can be found on Amazon Kindle, as well as Audible.
Mr Cummins has been instrumental in highlighting the torment among families, as well as giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves.
In his book, Without Trace — Ireland’s Missing, Mr Cummins highlights one of Cork’s least-known mysteries, the discovery of a body in Ballincollig in 1999.
“In Co Cork, mystery still surrounds the identity of a man whose body was recovered from the River Lee at Ballincollig, west of Cork city, on July 23, 1999.
"The body was taken from the water by the Cork Fire Brigade, and it was clear that the man had been in the water for some time. His facial features were unrecognisable and it was not possible to get fingerprints due to decomposition.
“Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster carried out a post-mortem examination, which established that the cause of the man’s death was consistent with drowning. He was aged between 40 and 60, was 5’ 10” tall, of strong build and short hair.
"He was wearing several layers of clothing, including two pairs of trousers, and this led the Gardaí to consider that the man might have been homeless.
“He had no personal documentation but had a number of items of jewellery which still hold out the prospect of him being one day identified.
“He wore a ‘Philip Mercier’ silver watch with a gold face. He had wooden rosary beads and three religious medals. He also had another small horseshoe-type medal which had a distinctive description which read ‘Good Luck MacGinty’.
Detectives checked with every MacGinty they could find, but none of them was a relative of the unidentified man.
While MacGinty may well be the man’s surname, or his mother’s maiden name or the name of another close relative, the Gardaí have also considered the possibility that MacGinty may have been a nickname by which the man was known.
“It is a potentially good clue to the man’s identity, and detectives urge anyone with any knowledge of the name MacGinty to contact them.
“DNA has been extracted from the body and filed away if ever a potential family member can be found. Until the case is solved, the unidentified man remains buried at a cemetery in Ballincollig.
“This man must have family and friends somewhere. Someone must know who he is,” says Seán Duggan, one of the firemen who recovered his body from the River Lee. From the terrain surrounding where the Ballincollig man was found, the Cork Fire Service was able to say that the man had entered the water close to where his body was located.”
Special Report: Complete national policy needed for cold cases
''Mystery surrounds body recovered in Cork in 1999
Good luck McGinty
A body recovered in Ballincollig in 1999 has never been identified despite the recovery of a distinctive medal that said Good Luck MacGinty on it.
One of the greatest advocates for missing people in Ireland, RTÉ reporter Barry Cummins, is adamant that we should never stop looking for answers for those who no longer have a voice.
His heavily-detailed works on behalf of missing people, as well as families whose loved ones have been victims of the worst crimes, can be found on Amazon Kindle, as well as Audible.
Mr Cummins has been instrumental in highlighting the torment among families, as well as giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves.
In his book, Without Trace — Ireland’s Missing, Mr Cummins highlights one of Cork’s least-known mysteries, the discovery of a body in Ballincollig in 1999.
“In Co Cork, mystery still surrounds the identity of a man whose body was recovered from the River Lee at Ballincollig, west of Cork city, on July 23, 1999.
"The body was taken from the water by the Cork Fire Brigade, and it was clear that the man had been in the water for some time. His facial features were unrecognisable and it was not possible to get fingerprints due to decomposition.
“Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster carried out a post-mortem examination, which established that the cause of the man’s death was consistent with drowning. He was aged between 40 and 60, was 5’ 10” tall, of strong build and short hair.
"He was wearing several layers of clothing, including two pairs of trousers, and this led the Gardaí to consider that the man might have been homeless.
“He had no personal documentation but had a number of items of jewellery which still hold out the prospect of him being one day identified.
“He wore a ‘Philip Mercier’ silver watch with a gold face. He had wooden rosary beads and three religious medals. He also had another small horseshoe-type medal which had a distinctive description which read ‘Good Luck MacGinty’.
Detectives checked with every MacGinty they could find, but none of them was a relative of the unidentified man.
While MacGinty may well be the man’s surname, or his mother’s maiden name or the name of another close relative, the Gardaí have also considered the possibility that MacGinty may have been a nickname by which the man was known.
“It is a potentially good clue to the man’s identity, and detectives urge anyone with any knowledge of the name MacGinty to contact them.
“DNA has been extracted from the body and filed away if ever a potential family member can be found. Until the case is solved, the unidentified man remains buried at a cemetery in Ballincollig.
“This man must have family and friends somewhere. Someone must know who he is,” says Seán Duggan, one of the firemen who recovered his body from the River Lee. From the terrain surrounding where the Ballincollig man was found, the Cork Fire Service was able to say that the man had entered the water close to where his body was located.”
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