Grand Canal body: ‘I thought it was just someone dumping rubbish’

Derek Maguire was taking the family dog, Jake, for a Saturday morning walk along the banks of the Grand Canal, south of Celbridge in Co Kildare, when he spotted a dark grey suitcase bobbing about in the water mid-canal.

Neither Mr Maguire nor Jake, or any other walkers or joggers he met along the 5km section of the canal between Kearneystown and Ardclough bridge, bothered with the suitcase either.

It wasn’t until about 3.30pm when a group of people decided to pull the suitcase out that the grim discovery of a male torso was made, and gardaí were called.

“To be honest I thought it was just someone dumping rubbish. Unfortunately that happens sometimes,” said Mr Maguire who like many people regularly uses the isolated walk past the 13th lock, bordering the walled demesne of Lyons estate.

Waterside walks along the canal are popular with walkers and joggers while cyclists tend to keep to the small rural roads.

Cyclist Stephen Bryan leaned on the parapet of Ardclough bridge on Sunday and said despite the quiet rural nature of the area there had been a number of incidents involving speeding cars and garda chases in recent times.

He said last year a car which was being followed by gardaí in the early hours of the morning had bounced over the hump-backed Ardclough bridge and landed on a nearby wall.

“There are always young people taking drugs at night up by the lock,” said an older man who stressed the area was not as quiet as it seemed. “They are there all the time and the guards after them”, he said.

Supt Gerard Wall of Leixlip Garda Station held a press conference at the bridge just two hours after the torso had been removed in a hearse with a Garda escort on Sunday afternoon.

Murder investigation

The torso and suitcase had remained in position overnight on Saturday, protected by a blue Garda tent. A full murder investigation was declared and the Garda Sub Aqua unit scoured the river for further evidence while teams of gardaí and the Garda forensic division combed the canal bank on Sunday afternoon. The Garda technical division, also known as the murder squad, was also called in.

“It is very early stages but I can say that it is a male,” said Supt Wall who said the walk was used by people every day. “If you used the canal any day since last Thursday we are asking you to contact us,” he said.

The torso as yet unidentified, belonged to a man who had met his death in recent days, he said. “We are looking at a recent event,” he said.

The remains were taken to Naas General Hospital for a postmortem by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis on Sunday evening.

Supt Wall has asked anyone who was on the canal walk since Thursday to contact Leixlip Garda Station, at 01 666 7800, or any Garda station.