Inquest hears that woman drowned in canal after looking at wasp's nest

An inquest last Monday concluded that 44-year-old Kay Condron died as a result of accidental drowning when she slipped into the Grand Canal at Rahan after leaning forward to look at a wasp nest on its bank during a Sunday walk with her husband Kevin last October. Kevin Condron told the inquest he had woken early on the morning of his wife's death - October 23, 2011 - and had made her a cup of tea before 7am. The couple's 20-year-old son Sean left the family home in Holmshill, Blueball, to go fishing at 7.40am he said, and he and his wife left for a walk before 9am, getting a newspaper in Blueball before driving on to the canal in Rahan and walking a route they'd taken just a week previously for about an hour and a half. Mr Condron told the inquest that he and Kay had "a bit of chit-chat" during the walk, with most of the chat coming from Kay as she was "a great talker" he said. After getting back to his parked Fiat Ducato van Mr Condron said they let the dog out of the van and walked to the nearby Mass gate. Mr Condron said they had noticed a wasp nest on the bank of the canal while walking toward the Mass gate, and they stopped to have a closer look on the way back. Mr Condron said his wife was leaning forward to look into the nest before she lost her footing. Both non-swimmers, Mr Condron told the inquest he grabbed his wife's jacket and fell sideways into the water. "She was thrashing around," he said, adding that if she wasn't panicking he thought he could have pulled her in. His wife "seemed to twist" he said, and then he lost hold of her jacket. At this stage he said he was standing in chest high water, with Kay a few feet away from him. "I just couldn't reach her," he said. After getting out of the water and unsuccessfully looking for some rope in his van, Kevin said he drove to the nearest house for help. Getting no answer at the first house he said he climbed barbed wire to the house next door, which was answered by a woman who called her husband. The two men went back to where Kay had fallen into the canal he said, and the second man jumped into the canal and pulled Kay in before carrying out CPR. Sergeant Brian Monaghan, based at Mullingar garda station, told the inquest he had noticed a van on the canal bank while travelling home at 12.10. Soon after he said his wife Mary answered the door to a "visibly shaken" Mr Condron. After following Mr Condron to the canal he said he jumped feet first into waist high water, which deepened to chest height at Kay. Taking her from the canal Sgt Monaghan said she was completely limp and wasn't breathing, with no pulse, no reaction to sound and purple face and lips. Her eyes were open, fixed and dilated he said. Both he and Mr Condron had difficulty turning on Mr Condron's phone to call an ambulance he said, and his brother John who arrived called 999 and spoke to both the ambulance service and gardaí at Portlaoise station. A civilian medic arrived soon after and then an ambulance he told the inquest. Sgt Monaghan, in response to question from Mr Mahon, said he believed the depth of water at the centre of the canal to be between eight and ten feet. Garda Enda Kenny from Tullamore station told the inquest he got a call to attend the scene at 12.35. Mr Condron was crying and soaked as far up as his chest when he arrived he said. He told the inquest he took to a statement from Mr Condron when they were on their way to Tullamore hospital's emergency department. At 2.15pm on October 23, just six days before her 45th birthday, Kay Condron was pronounced dead at Tullamore hospital the inquest heard. Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis told the inquest he carried out a post mortem on her body, concluding that she had died as a result of drowning. There was no evidence of assault and no traces of alcohol or drugs, he said. Commenting on the case coroner Brian Mahon said the case presented a "straightforward if tragic" set of circumstances. Describing the tragedy as "bizarre" he said you "don't normally associate someone going for a Sunday walk with these tragedies but it can happen, and it did happen." Condolences were offered to Mr Condron and his family by coroner Mr Mahon, the gardaí and the inquest jury. Mr Mahon added that he hopes now Mr Condron and his family can move forward as best they can.