Amidst candles, handwritten notes affixed to floral tributes, and empty gin and whiskey bottles on Grand Parade, near the Charlemont Luas stop, lie two framed pictures of Donal Scanlon, aged 49, and Alex Warnick, aged 42. This makeshift memorial was erected at the spot where the buddies tragically lost their lives a little over a week ago, adding to the growing number of homeless individuals in Dublin who have met a tragic end.
A sentiment of needless loss hangs in the air, voiced by Alex’s half-brother, 27-year-old Josh Warnick, who spoke from British Columbia, Canada. The incident has inflicted a colossal sorrow on their family, says Josh.
Emergencies services were alerted to the report of a body in the water near Grand Canal on July 6th around 8.15am, resulting in the retrieval of Mr. Scanlon and Mr. Warnick’s remains from the canal. They had set up their temporary sleeping quarters in nearby tents.
It’s purported by authorities that an early morning accident led to one man ending up in the canal and starting to flounder. His friend came to his rescue but tragically, they both encountered difficulties.
Mr. Warnick’s life will be celebrated on Tuesday at the Glasnevin Crematorium with the funeral details for Mr. Scanlon yet to be released. Josh, who spent his childhood with Alex in Oregon, USA, revealed that Alex moved across the Atlantic to the UK nearly twenty years ago. Alex found his way to Ireland around seven or eight years ago and ironically fell into homelessness amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He used to be a chef and was known for his love for psytrance music, DJ-ing and being a “caretaker,” a man who was open-minded with no judgement for others’ belief systems or sexual orientations.
Josh expressed that he, along with his family, maintained regular communication with Alex over the years, though recent circumstances found Alex living with homelessness, which was something they could not fully understand. In an attempt to keep the familial bond strong, they had plans to arrange a holiday and visit Alex. Originally hailing from Ballybunion, Alex, also known as Mr. Scanlon, frequently returned to the County Kerry town to reconnect with his family throughout the years. Despite this, he spent the greater part of the past two decades dwelling in the capital city.
Chris O’Reilly, operator of the Liberty Soup Run, conveyed that Mr. Scanlon was unhappy with his homeless situation. Nonetheless, he remembered him as a friendly individual who had recently fallen into difficult times. “He consistently fostered hope and maintained plans,” stated O’Reilly, one of which was to secure a boat as a live-in option. There was a specific moment, during the pandemic, when O’Reilly received a call from Mr. Scanlon, requesting assistance to transport a boat from Donegal to Dublin. It was his intention to station the boat – a run-down specimen – in the canal near their campsite, creating a unique place for him to reside.
O’Reilly mentioned that throughout the pandemic Mr. Scanlon lived mostly in a tent close to his unfortunate death site. Afterward, he relocated to Ranelagh and was often seen frequenting soup runs in the southern part of the inner city. He craved the interaction, as well as the greetings, while accepting the little that was given to him.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Glenda Harrington, the founder of the Friends Helping Friends soup run. She encountered Mr. Scanlon regularly at her weekly stall, located at the Bank of Ireland on College Green, and recalled him as a reserved yet courteous man, who wore his County Kerry heritage with pride.
On the following Saturday, a few of Mr. Warnick’s friends assembled for a volunteer soup run close to the Garden of Remembrance. The group convened for some sustenance and a hearty discussion.
“Beezer”, whose real name is Brian O’Reilly, stated that the previous week has been tremendously difficult. Following Mr Warnick’s passing, as he had no relatives residing in Ireland, he and other associates who were familiar with their friend’s favourite inner city hostel were approached by the local law enforcement.
Brian wondered how he ended up losing around 20 friends, all under 50 years old, since the year 2012. “It’s just the way life on the streets is”, he concluded.
Josh Warnick, the deceased’s brother, conveyed his heartfelt thanks to the Dublin residents who reached out to his family and spoke fondly of his sibling. His hope is that this tragic event surrounding Alex’s demise draws attention to the escalating homelessness crisis that has plagued Dublin for the last ten years.
He deeply understands the grave homelessness issue in Dublin and hopes that this awful incident can at least serve as a wake-up call. Josh fervently wishes that this situation gains prominent attention so that such unfortunate encounters may not befall any other individual.