THREE PEOPLE, one of whom was a doctor, died after choking on their food in Galway - two of them on the same day, an inquest has been told.
West Galway coroner Dr Ciaran McLoughlin said yesterday that it was "unprecedented" that three people should lose their life in this way.
One of the choking victims, Dr Anneliese Lavery (68), was the wife of prominent Northern Ireland barrister Michael Lavery QC, who represented a number of the Bloody Sunday families at Saville inquiry hearings in Derry and London.
The couple, who had been married for almost 50 years, were on holidays in the west of Ireland at Easter this year. They were staying at Ashford Castle, in Co Mayo, and on March 24th travelled to Galway to have lunch at the renowned Moran's on the Weir Oyster Cottage at Kilcolgan.
The inquest was told that shortly after Dr Lavery - who had been a GP on the Falls Road in Belfast for almost 40 years - starting eating her lobster lunch, she began to cough and choke.
Restaurant manager Eileen Finn Graham, who is a nurse, went to Dr Lavery's assistance. Dr Lavery was given water and she was also attended to by two other people having lunch in the restaurant at the time, one a doctor and the other a nurse.
Ms Finn Graham told the inquest that, despite repeated attempts at the Heimlich manoeuvre, including thumping her back, Dr Lavery's condition did not improve.
A piece of lobster was eventually dislodged from her throat. It measured about 10cm in length.
Finbarr Lavery, a son of the deceased woman, said he wanted to thank everybody who had come to his mother's assistance, including the restaurant staff and the medical personnel.
Pathologist Dr Margaret Sheehan said the cause of death was acute asphyxia due to obstruction of the airways by a food bolus.
Earlier, Dr McLoughlin heard how Galway woman Bernie Carroll (49) had died at her home in Ballybane on June 21st after choking on her food.
Ms Carroll and her partner John Greally had eaten a meal of bacon and cabbage and she had gone for a nap on the couch in the kitchen. Mr Greally said he thought she may have eaten some more food after he left the kitchen. He found her slumped on the couch some time later.
The inquest heard that a few kilometres away, a 79-year-old man lost his life on the same day after choking on his food.
Arthur Laffey from Sandyvale Lawn was found lying on the floor at his home.
Dr Sheehan concluded that Mr Laffey, who lived alone, had died from asphyxia due to the obstruction of his windpipe by a large food bolus. A previous fall resulting in a skull fracture and haemorrhage were contributory factors.