Homeless Irish woman freezes to death in New York City

and the church was locked where she could have come in from the cold?????

Surely someone must have know she was in extreme danger of dying from hypothermia.People must have passed her.Is it to much trouble for people to call an ambulance. Fall asleep in that weather and no one would wake up again. Sad

So tragic, and unfortunately it happens way too often. Indeed there but for the grace of God goes Lindsay Lohan! Thoughts are with her mother and her child. May she rest in peace.

This makes me so angry. After fleeing an abusive relationship, I ended up in the street with two children and a third on the way. I found organizations that could help and I made sure my children were clean and at school every day while I looked for a job and a new place to live. It was hell, no doubt, but I was responsible for it and I had to get help to start over. This woman was not refused aid, nor was she incapable of making the choice to get help. There is nor reason to blame politicians or the church or anyone else for her death, save the elements and the worst choice she herself made. This is a horrible tragedy and one that is made worse because it truly was preventable!

It makes me angry! There's so few programs for helping people who need it. Everything last penny must go to the top 1%, now that corporations are (people) too. There's nothing respectable about that. Don't blame the devil for the evil that mankind is creating all by themselves.

How sad. RIP Grace Farrell. I wish she'd had the strength to accept help. And I wish her dreams had come true for her. But I'm not her, and I won't judge her. Since I have fought and lost the battle to quit smoking numerous times, I know how hard it is to fight and beat an addiction.

It is a tragedy that this woman wasn't able to get any help she needed so desperately. I feel sorry for her family and her son knowing this. She really needed some support and therapy to help deal with her past failures. It is a sad commentary on our society that someone like actor, Charlie Sheen can get all the help that he needs and is front page news, but someone like this woman couldn't get any help with her addiction and died alone in such sad circumstances.

You did a good thing in making people aware of the plight of this Irish woman. Now, she is known and loved by many. My Irish grandmother only had a third grade education. Her mother came through New York City from the old sod. May God bless the Irish and their efforts in America. This is a Melkite priest. Where was the new good archbishop Timothy Dolan? He is "working out deals" to take in minority students who are not Catholic for the schools and "rubbing shoulders" with the present administration instead of "helping all the poor". This woman happened to have the wrong redentials for the USCCB in order to receive help. Malchi Martin said it. Read it and weap.

I think if a person can afford alcohol or drugs they can afford to work and at least buy or rent a place to live and a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. Also; if one has to; they can work two jobs;I have.

the nine year old son - what a start in live for such a young person. have ye no shame - sick people on the bottle. the curse of ... it can happen to anyone ..... the gene is in them. suffering on alone gives em a oneness with jesus.

Nobody, in this country should die like that, nobody should go hungry in this country. There is enough food wasted here that could feed the third world. It's a disgrace. For the want of a little thought, if everybody spent 2 or 3 bucks on a couple of cans of soup or cereal while they shop and drop it off at the local soup kitchen, we would all be better off.

To Bridiegirl, This country is not that bad off. If she was looking for help, she most definetly would have found it. Unfortunately most drug abusers aren't looking for help, all they are looking for their next score or fix. But I agree with everone who has left a comment on this article in so much as it is very sad that some one with the dreams and commitment that she had in the beginning should die alone in the cold outside a church. Most churches are locked at night now in todays world to avoid vandals and thieves. A very sad commentary on society today. God bless and welcome her.

May Grace Farrell rest in peace, but may this horrendous story inspire us to do all we can to help young women realize their dreams. What is haunting to me is that my book, 'Norah, The Making of an Irish-American Woman in the 19th-Century' is about an immigrant (come from Cork during the Hunger in 1847) who could have easily ended up like Grace Farrell. In fact, in my novel, Norah takes a buggy to Tompkins Square, which is now a park that Grace Farrell slept in. Cynthia Neale

So sad, and in a city where so much can be done for addiction. She obviously couldn't see her way out of that black hole. May she rest in peace.

There you have it. Jobless and homeless in the US. One result. Suddenly Europe just seems that more welcoming. Why did she not come home?