Police record of Matt Talbot’s death

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February, 1937. The Garda Review. 353 "An Unknown Man" THE POLICE RECORD OF MATT TALBOT'S DEATH BY MAURICE CUSSEN IN an Occurrence Book at Fitzgibbon Street Station, 'Unknown man dies suddenly.' It was made by Cigire Timothy Maher, Store Sergeant Station, who was then a Station Sergeant in Fitzgibbon Street. The report is to the effect that while Garda Thomas Hanlon was on duty at Parnell Square he was informed by a number of boys that an old man was lying unconscious in Granby Lane. "The Garda, unconscious in the report, was mandated to proceed the saw, the man lying on his back in the lane. The Corporation ambulance, which was summoned by some person unknown, arrived soon afterwards and conveyed the man to Jervis Street Hospital, where, on admission, life was pronounced extinct by Dr. Hannigan, H.S. "Chris. Keogh, 4 Granby Lane, stated that he saw the deceased walking down Granby Lane towards Dominick Street Church when he fell by Keogh's door. The man was not known in the locality, and the Garda was unable to get any further particulars about him." Then follows a description of the man—"about 50 years, 5 feet 8 inches, medium build, brown hair turning grey, nearly bald, grey moustache. He was wearing an old grey hard suit, 'Kildare House' on tab, black hard suit, black laced hoots, blue shirt with red and white stripes." A further entry by Sairsint John Barton, 19 C, reveals that the man was later identified as Matthew Talbot, 18 Upper Rutland Street, labourer, aged 68 years, by his sister, Susan Fylan. She stated that she saw him before he left for Mass at Dominick Street Church on morning of the 7th June, 1925, and that he lived alone in the front room, 18 Upper Rutland Street. It will be seen at once that this record is similar in every way to several others which Stooks all over the metropolitan Division, from time to time. No further notice was therefore, taken of Matt Talbot's death just then, but this particular record is now invested with much interest on account of the remarkable circumstances of the life of the man which have since been brought to light, and the investigation of which was initiated by the finding of chains and ropes entwined round his body after it had been brought to Jervis Street Hospital. The result of inquiries made revealed that the deceased man for nearly 40 years had led a life of extraordinary asceticism and holistic to find a parallel for which we must go back to the lives of the early Erish saints, and, indeed, it is doubtful if every there and parallel for it can be found, since they were for the most part withdrawn from the world and its distractions; while he was a man whose lot was placed among ordinary workers from day to day, and who lived in contact with everything that tended to draw him aside from the hard path which he had existed. Steadfast in Resolution. To my mind, apart from his holiness in general, this was certainly the most admirable trait in the man—his amazing resolve. The place where Mat…