Inmate who died in Limerick Prison to be buried next week
THE FUNERAL of the man who died in Limerick Prison on Thursday will take place next week.
Edward Woodland, aged 23, of Greenmount Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, passed away suddenly on Thursday morning. His funeral Mass will take place in the city next Thursday followed by burial in Mount St. Oliver Cemetery.
The Irish Prison Service has confirmed to Limerick Live that "there was a death of a person in the custody of the Irish Prison Service on January 12 and the next of kin have been notified".
"This death in custody will be investigated by the Irish Prison Service, The Inspector of Prisons and An Garda Síochána, where circumstances warrant. The cause of death is determined by the Coroner’s Office," said the spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service.
A day earlier, Mr Woodland was sentenced at Ennis Circuit Court to five years in prison with the last 12 months suspended for his role in a burglary at an isolated farmhouse in County Clare on January 5, 2018.
His father Patrick Woodland, aged 48, of Greenmount Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston; John Woodland, aged 44, of Clarina Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston and Paul Kiely, aged 35, of Glencairn, Dooradoyle were co-accused.
The court was informed three of the burglars - Patrick Woodland, Edward Woodland and Paul Kiely - fled from the farmhouse after discovering that the sole occupant, 97-year-old James (Jimmy) O’Connor was asleep in his bed.
The court heard that as part of the planned burglary, one member of the gang - John Woodland - lured James O’Connor’s son, Vincent O’Connor, away from his home to a nearby field on the pretence of buying silage as part of "a clever decoy".
Nothing was taken in the burglary and Judge Eoin Garavan accepted there was no threat of violence and that violence was not used.
Imposing sentence, Judge Garavan stated that the burglary offence carried out by the gang "is of intense social concern" and there must be a deterrent.