Offaly farmer was married in registry office day before he died – inquest told

THE Offaly farmer's whose cause of death has not been determined got married in a registry office the day before he passed away, an inquest in Tullamore was told today (Friday, July 4).

Lisa Flaherty, widow of Joseph Grogan, Screggan, Tullamore, on whose land this year's National Ploughing Championships will take place, told of how her husband, a 75-year-old man diagnosed with stage four cancer, did not have to be lifted into a car after the marriage ceremony.

Ms Flaherty said he had weighed 12 to 13 stone before he became ill but at the time of his death was just seven stone.

The validity of the marriage had first been questioned in May when the inquest opened and Damien Tansey, SC, who appeared for relations of Mr Grogan, again asked questions about it when the full hearing began today before Offaly County Coroner, Raymond Mahon.

A marriage certificate was handed into the court but Mr Tansey indicated that it could be contested in the High Court.

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There were several tense exchanges between Mr Tansey and the coroner, plus the legal representative for Ms Flaherty, Stephen Byrne, BL.

The inquest is inquiring into the death of Joseph (Joe) Grogan who died on April 15, 2023 at his home after undergoing four cycles of chemo therapy after being diagnosed with stage four Non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the stomach the previous December.

The inquest was told by the pathologist who carried out a post mortem, Dr Charles d'Aldhemar, that he could identify no clear cause of the death because his examination was limited by previous embalming of the body.

Dr d'Aldhemar said it was extremely unusual to be asked to carry out a post mortem on an embalmed body.

Certain tests could not be done because of prior embalming and hence the cause of death was unascertained.

The pathologist said embalming a body causes extreme constraints for pathologists and can prevent and limit toxicology and microbiology tests.

Nonetheless he found from an examination of vitreous fluid that Zolidem [used for sleeping problems] and two anti histamines had been present in the body.

Dr d'Aldhemar told Mr Tansey that when combined those three drugs could cause respiratory depression but it would depend on the levels and concentration.

He did not find gastric lymphoma and that indicated the chemo had been successful. The pathologist also said that Mr Grogan's very mild minimal coronary disease was not significant.

The inquest also heard from Dr Kanthi Perera, oncologist, Tullamore Hospital, that Mr Grogan had been responding well to chemo therapy and was due to be assessed for a further cycle before his death.

Dr Perera said she had been surprised when she heard that Mr Grogan had died on April 15, 2023, 10 days after the last session of chemo therapy and said about 60% of patients in his condition could survive for five years with successful further treatment.

Site in Screggan where National Ploughing will be held this year after previously taking place there in 2016, 2017 and 2018

Sergeant Justine Reilly gave evidence that she learned on the evening of April 15 that Mr Grogan had passed away and his remains had been brought to Longford for embalming.

Two days later she was requested to escort the remains from Mr Grogan's home to the mortuary in Tullamore where an undertaker, Martin Keyes, identified the deceased.

Sergeant Reilly said she had been instructed by the coroner to bring the body to the mortuary and the circumstances were unusual.

Enta Conroy, an elderly second cousin of the deceased, described herself as a lifelong friend of his and detailed how she visited him regularly at home prior to his death.

She noticed his condition deteriorating each day and when she called on the afternoon of April 14 he had deteriorated again. A marriage was not mentioned, said Ms Conroy.

She also told of her belief that she had not seen a priest at the house and she brought a crucifix and holy water into Mr Grogan, blessed him and kissed his forehead.

She said he was a very religious man who had built a grotto on his land and went to Knock every year on pilgrimage.

Ms Conroy said there had been no mention of a doctor in the days before Mr Grogan died and she believed he should have been seen by one because her own husband, his friend, had previously died of cancer.

Dr A Ben Kato, a GP with Midoc, the Midlands out of hours service, gave evidence of pronouncing Mr Grogan dead after calling to his house and finding no clinical sign of life. He had never met Joseph Grogan before.

Dr Kato said he reported the death into the system whereby it would go back to Mr Grogan's own GP. He also said he had not given anyone authority to move the body from the house and he would not be able to given an opinion as to the cause of death.

Dr Kato also said that another GP, Dr McHale, who was said to be Mr Grogan's GP, did not sign a death certificate because she had not seen the deceased.

In a deposition read into the record, Dr Grainne McHale said that while she had taken over Mr Grogan's care from a Dr Scanlon, he had never come to the practice, she never met him and she never prescribed for him.

Aidan Dignam, a paramedic, said that when he arrived at Mr Grogan's house and explained that he should go to hospital because he was dying, the man said he would not go back to the hospital because there was nothing they could do for him.

In her own evidence, Lisa Flaherty said herself and Joe Grogan had been together for over 16 years having known each other since she was in her teens.

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Ms Flaherty said that in December 2022 Joe had gone to see Dr Shane Carroll in Banagher, Co Offaly and after bloods were taken he was diagnosed with cancer.

They got married on the April 14 after that and the following day Joe did not want to go back to hospital because he wanted to stay at home and didn't want to go in the ambulance.

He had everything arranged for his funeral and she was delighted when the undertaker told her that he could be embalmed and brought back home that night because he had said he did not want to be left on a slab anywhere.

Ms Flaherty said that being brought away to a mortuary was “the one thing he didn't want”.

Under cross-examination by Mr Tansey, Ms Flaherty, who said she was born in 1974, said she had been romantically linked with Mr Grogan for more than 16 years but also agreed that she had a partner, Seamus Meacle, for a number of years, including at the time of the suicide of her brother Damien in 2018.

Ms Flaherty disputed evidence from Ms Conroy that a priest had not been to the house, saying that the local priest, Fr Michael Whittaker, had been in to see Mr Grogan daily before his death and two other priests also visited. He got great comfort from Fr Whittaker's visits.

Ms Flaherty, a special needs assistant in a school, said she had three children but none of them were Joe's and when Mr Tansey began to question her about them he was stopped by Mr Mahon who said it was a pointless exercise and he would not allow any further questions about the woman's previous relationships.

Mr Tansey said he was asking because of rumours and suspicion that were doing the rounds before Mr Grogan died.

Ms Flaherty also denied that she had attempted to restrict visitors to Mr Grogan but said a “no visitors” sign was put on the door for two to five days around the time of chemo because of the threat of infection.

On the day of his death she first contacted the oncology department and was advised to ring an ambulance. Her sister, Niamh Higgins, a psychiatric nurse, was present and she contacted Midoc.

Ms Flaherty said she had not contacted a doctor or the hospital after his return home following the fourth cycle of chemo and stated that Mr Grogan repeatedly said he was going to die and had to be talked into getting treatment.

On the day before he died he “had his mind made up” and asked her if she wanted anyone else to stay with her that night because he was going to die.

When Mr Tansey asked Ms Flaherty if it was fair to say the relationship between herself and Joe had never been consummated, Mr Byrne intervened and said in 35 years of practice he had never heard such a scandalous question being asked.

The coroner ruled that he would not allow Mr Tansey's question.

Ms Flaherty also told the inquest that there was always a spare room in Mr Grogan's house and that was used by her but she did have a house elsewhere and its address was on the marriage certificate.

Asked by Mr Tansey about her relationships with Mr Grogan's cousins, Ms Fahey said that while she knew Padraig Grogan, a cousin who had a farm nearby, which she understood was run by the Farmers Journal, she did not have a conversation with him until December 2022.

Replying to questions from Peter Jones, a solicitor for Teresa Mooney, a 90-year-old aunt of the deceased, Ms Flaherty said that while Fr Whittaker had not performed the wedding, the plan had been that afterwards he would do a blessing at the grotto Joe had erected on his land.

Ms Flaherty also denied stopping Ms Mooney from having a telephone conversation with Mr Grogan and said she had never refused any phone call for him.

It was Joe's choice who he wanted to tell about his condition and his line of communication to the Grogan family was with Grainne Kelly, a woman who lived across the road.

When she was cross examined by Mr Tansey again about her marriage when Mr Grogan was so ill she said that Joe had been transported to the registry office by car.

She was certain he did not have to be lifted into a car when they came out of the registry office and before he died he was able to call numerous people into his room to speak about things that should be done.

Ms Flaherty was the final witness and Mr Mahon said the inquest will resume on Tuesday, July 15.