PADDY BARRY, the grandfather of the popular entertainer, magician Keith Barry, died early yesterday morning at Waterford Regional Hospital. He had been found unconscious at his home.
However, after being told of the preliminary results of a postmortem, gardaí investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the 82-year-old pensioner said there was “no specific evidence of an actual assault”.
Mr Barry, a widower who lived alone in a terraced house on Mount Sion Avenue close to Waterford city centre, had telephoned gardaí at about 9pm last Wednesday to report a burglary at his home.
When officers arrived at the scene they found Mr Barry unconscious. He was admitted to hospital suffering from head and other injuries and never regained consciousness.
He died at about 5.30am yesterday surrounded by family members.
Mr Barry’s funeral will take place on Saturday.
Supt Chris Delaney said last night that “a major Garda investigation” was under way involving “over 50 officers” which has “the same status as a murder investigation”.
He said that Mr Barry had “suffered a violent attack on his home” and the Garda investigation would continue until they detected “the perpetrator or perpetrators of this crime”.
He reiterated an appeal for public assistance. Gardaí are “particularly keen” to speak to two teenage girls, “aged approximately 16 years”, who were “playing in the Mount Sion area at around 9pm last Wednesday evening” (September 16th).
Gardaí also wish to speak to anyone who saw or spoke to Mr Barry during the previous week.
They can be contacted at Waterford Garda station on 051-305300, the Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800-666-111 or any Garda station.
Yesterday, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy acknowledged that Mr Barry’s death would cause “concern” to elderly people and expressed his condolences to the Barry family. He assured the public that his force was doing everything possible to solve the case.
The Mayor of Waterford, Cllr John Halligan, expressed his sympathy to the Barry family “on behalf of the people of the city” and said that Mr Barry’s death “makes it all the more important that we support the current Garda investigation and that those of us who live near older people make a point of keeping an eye out for their welfare”.
The mayor acknowledged that while “the original episode” at Mr Barry’s home “has prompted a debate on violent crime and how best to protect older people”, it was for the Garda, Director of Public Prosecutions and – potentially – the courts to determine exactly what happened.