Read more: Remembering Grace: A personal account from an old Irish friend
Grace Farrell, 35, an Irish woman who came to New York with big dreams of a career in art was found dead from exposure in front of St. Brigid’s Church -- a church founded by Irish immigrants in the 1840s -- in the Lower East Village section of Manhattan on Sunday morning.
Farrell, who had slept though the bitterly cold night wrapped in thin blankets that provided her no protection from the biting wind, apparently died from exposure. A homeless friend named Tony, whom she had shared a meal with the night before, reportedly discovered her lifeless body at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, according to the New York Daily News. New York Daily News.
She is believed to be the first person to die of the cold in New York this winter.
Farrell’s body was discovered in an alcove area adjacent to St. Brigid’s Church on Avenue B, a church that was founded by Irish people fleeing the Famine. After the discovery the police taped off the area on Avenue B between St. Brigid's Church and the next door school where homeless people often seek shelter during the night.
Farrell, originally from Co. Cork, arrived in the U.S. in 1993 at the age of 17 with a plan to study art here and make a name for herself in the city. But a growing alcohol dependency and a failed abusive marriage left her estranged from husband and son, who is now thought to be about nine years old.
Farrell’s acquaintances added that she often told them her mother lives in the Bronx. But Farrell’s former life seemed far away from her more recent one of sleeping rough in Tompkins Square Park and scrounging meals. In recent years she became a well-known face in the area.
Patrick Moloney, a Melkite priest who ministers in the area said there were many similar cases “There are a couple of girls deep into the abuse of prescription drugs, OxyContin and codeine, making cocktails,” he said. “This is not the first time we’ve had a frozen person. There’s one young man, I’ve seen him next to death, and he won’t go in,”he told Jim Dwyer of The New York Times.
Orla Kelleher, the executive director of the Aisling Irish Center in Yonkers and also a member of the Irish Volunteers for the Homeless organization, said the homeless problem in New York is getting worse due to the recession.
“We have seen a noticeable rise in the number of homeless people availing of our services this year. They’d be people of all ages, from young people to people in their sixties,” she told the Irish Voice.
“The majority of these people would not be Irish, but in many cases when we are given the name of someone who may need our help we find that it’s often refused.”
Shame about their circumstances, or fear that their plight will become better known, seem to prevent many Irish people in difficulty from accepting assistance when it is offered. Often there may be a drug or alcohol dependency to contend with as well, complicating the ability of social services like Irish Volunteers for the Homeless to offer lasting help.
“The majority of our work doesn’t take us that far down into the city,” says Kelleher of where Farrell died, “but we will go down if we’re given any information suggesting we should. The thing to remember is that we will offer any help we can if we’re asked.”
The NYPD have confirmed that while the cause of Farrell’s death is under investigation, her death is not being investigated as a crime.
"Every time I would make her smile, her eyes would change color, blue to green," an old boyfriend identified only as English told the Daily News.
“She’d wake up in the morning with the shakes. She had an addiction,” he added.
Read more: Remembering Grace: A personal account from an old Irish friend
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.sirpeter | Feb 25, 2011, 10:21 AM EST
I agree..Guy's like Thomas help alot of people and he knows it's not just about giving food and blanket's. They give alot of their time to helping people who are hungry and in mental distress. It's always the guys who are doing the real work who know best and can make the best judgment. Encouraging to see, he is smart enough to toss the rule book in the can..Been the devil's advocate... I wonder do all the people who canvass for funds, hand all the money in, that they collect for these shelters. I wonder do a very small amount of those who are in positions of trust with this money,slip the odd couple of hundred bucks into their back pocket,they can't all be totally honest..I know from experience a small amount of collector's aren't. What would happen If the media decided to do a bit of dirt digging and started exposing these dishonest people who are connected to the thousands of shelters in Europe and America..Exposing them week after week after week after week..It wouldn't be long before Charities would be known for their corruption and thievery. Would each Charity try and cover it up if they could,knowing for a fact that a small percentage of their fundraisers are thieves,but also knowing it is impossible to stop. Does not the overall good far outweigh that small element of corruption and thievery. Who in the end would suffer,because of that labeling.
Searlit | Feb 24, 2011, 10:38 PM EST
Thank God for people like Thomasguy.
AnnIrishCailin | Feb 24, 2011, 07:58 PM EST
Oh my God, I feel like saying, but it happens in Irelands Cities every week, I think that when you get to a place in life where Grace was, you dont think of looking after yourself or feeding yourself, because all hope is now gone, I do know the work that shelters do, but an Alcoholic would die outside the door, cause they would not be able to go in. Its a very cunning disease and the last one to know they have it is the person themselves, do you think this is the life she laid out for herself and her son, she probably tried everyday to change it, but alcohol takes all and first place, and then it will take your life, but it will give you plenty of misery first. God Bless Grace, God has a special place in Heaven for her, because she did not get it in this life, May she rest in peace. Bill and Lois Wilson would probably turn in their grave, God Bless that Couple and Also Dr. Bob and Ann Smith. From:- An Irish Woman grateful with my life and what I have, but for the grace of God go I. Thank you Ann
Towngate | Feb 24, 2011, 04:42 PM EST
WE ARE ALL GUILTY of this death and many others like it because we allowed it to happen. At least one of the fine wooden doors of the 'dark satanic mill' should be set alight by the negligent priest in charge! ~ ~ ~ Maryosullivan: don't go off on one at The Voice and shoot the messenger: Ask yourself this: If one million were lost to the Famine out of a population of seven - what were the other six million doing as they fled or starved? The answer is indeed hard to swallow: Their fellow-Irish let them! Yes, indeed, we are all guilty!
maryosullivan | Feb 24, 2011, 01:42 PM EST
The Voice never misses an opportunity to degrade Irish persons. I suspect if this woman didnt have a drinking problem we would never hear of her. Also , what famine are you writing of? what has been peddled for years as a famine has long been known as a deliberate starvation and not a famine. Could it be a reporter does not know this SEE; irishholocaust.org
simontemplar | Feb 24, 2011, 01:33 PM EST
Does anybody have any details re: the funeral or a wake?
howareya | Feb 24, 2011, 01:16 PM EST
How sad! But, thank God, there are people like Thomasguy that give of their time to help the people in need. There are many out there like him. And the church was locked...unfortunately, most churches have to lock up at night or they would be vandalized or robbed. Sad all the way around. Hopefully, the death of poor Grace Farrell will make a few more people aware of the plight of the homeless and maybe even move them to help. RIP, Grace!
simplesandy | Feb 24, 2011, 12:17 PM EST
I am sorry for this woman and her family...but I have to say the Americans get a bad rep for not helping people when I know for a fact there are places people can go and are clothed .fed..Warm shelter. and counseling...you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink...is it possible this woman was on here own because she chose to be and didn’t seek any help ..Maybe falling in the snow and ice where no one saw her lying there. I can not say I was not there..But if I was I would have done something. I believe there is help out there for everyone ..you have to seek it..It does not know your needs till you tell them.
hyattsville | Feb 24, 2011, 10:10 AM EST
There are photos of her, her son and her ex in todays NY Daily News
donal1951 | Feb 24, 2011, 10:05 AM EST
I remember my 20s all too well. There but for fortune go I. May God have mercy on her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed. She was let down by everyone, including herself. But alcoholism is an illness and she can't be blamed for that.
bunkerisland | Feb 24, 2011, 09:51 AM EST
A story such as this tugs at the heart. It is more than a story. It gives us a tiny piece of the life of Grace Farrell and presents more questions than answers. Why to the US at age 17? Where were her parents? Who did she come to in the states or on her own? Where is abusive husband? and child now? Was she ever linked with women's services to deal with abuse and addiction? Death on the steps of St. Brigid's, a church constructed by immigrants with the doors now closed and locked after hours? If we assume addiction/alcoholism is a disease we cannot blame but must continue to attempt to intervene. We failed Grace! We brothers and sisters of Grace failed her, the church failed her, her husband failed her. She died like a stray dog on the cold granite steps of St. Brigid's wrapped in a thin blanket. Her body will probably be tossed in a paupers grave. Perhaps St. Brigid's could honor her life by offering a burial ceremony and place for her remains to be placed?
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sirpeter | Feb 24, 2011, 07:56 AM EST
@thomasguy..Excellent post..The quality of a society is how it treats it's weakest. If there is a God and there is to be some form of Judgment. A person will be judged on how they treat other people.
leperchaun377 | Feb 23, 2011, 10:54 PM EST
sad,sad, may God have mercy on ner soul..
thomasguy | Feb 23, 2011, 09:36 PM EST
I work the shelter on thursday night out east on long island, We get between 50 and 60 men and women, I stay over night, The report is wrong that only one person has died this winter from exsposer, Many have died, So far as i know, and an 85 year old man died, A young women also died, They found her covered in leaves after the snow melted, And one other i just heard about a week or so ago. These happen on long island. Long island is part of NY right? Please let me make a suggestion to all of you who are concerned, Please, please. Take good care of the homeless that come to your area. Dont just feed them and give them a blanket& pillow, Try and be a friend to them, Talk to them, Show kindness, Let them know there welcome, Open your hearts to them, That poor girl was sick, Alcoholics suffer in ways thats very diffacult, Also she was found in front of the church dead, What a disgrace to that shelter. Alot of times workers come in to help at my church, Bed everyone down then also go to sleep. I do not sleep because i am there to work, Watch over them, And protect them, And if any come to the door in the middle of the night i will open it, Take the rule book and toss it in the can. There is no rules when the temp is 10 to 20 degrees. People will die, in that cold.If workers need to sleep then do it in shifts, But be alert, Also keep asprin and cough meds handy, Watch for those who maybe running fevers, Before locking the door at night make shore you go out side and look around to see who might be to shy or proud to come in, The cold has no mercy on anyone, But a compassionate heart does. Keep hot tea available though out the night, Most homeless people are very lost, and down on there luck. If your going to help out doing this type of service for God dont forget to pray for those your watching over. And dont judge them or look down on them. It could be someday you might be in there shoes.
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MacKennon | Feb 23, 2011, 08:58 PM EST
I think people need to realize this could happen to anyone,your daughter,your sister,your mother.You may have been blessed with all the advantages in life,never to have known hunger,homelessness,despair,cold,rain,or misfortune.But I say this to you,sons and daughters of the fortunate.You have never been tested beyond the limits of human endurance.It is easy to be magnanimous when you are sitting in your comfortable home with a full stomach and a fat bank account.You can thank your lucky stars if you have the intelligence to see beyond your life and circumstances.Do you realize that can all be taken away in the blink of an eye?This is what leads me to believe that our world will soon be robbed of these riches.The people of the U.S.A. have become heartless,affluent,unintelligent,self centered no goods that do not deserve what they have been given.We are a modern day Sodom & Gommorah.I am not a religious person,but a blind man can see the depravity in the souls of these undeserving people.
warrenpoint00 | Feb 23, 2011, 07:21 PM EST
Well said sirpeter,in the old days this would not happen..in today,s world it is a never ending tragedy.The general public has no tolerance for the helpless, homeless,abuse victims,or those with mental disorder...etc
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TommyDerry | Feb 23, 2011, 05:30 PM EST
How very, very sad. May St. Brigid protect her on her journey and may God bless her. Safe home Grace. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Imadub1962 | Feb 23, 2011, 03:43 PM EST
I came to America in 1990 and was starting to think that I wasn't doing too well as I have not made a few million by now...but hearing this tragic story I realize I am SO rich - I have a lovely warm bed in my apartment to sleep in every night, plenty of food, no addictions, and family and friends all over the world who will help me if I am ever in need. This story is just so sad. Poor girl...
DigitalBob | Feb 23, 2011, 03:30 PM EST
Yeah, not that I am not sympathetic but there is only so much one can do to help a drunk and a drug addict. It isn't an uncaring city, it isn't America, and it certainly isn't the recession. It is someone choosing an 18 year path of self-destruction and addiction despite attempts from dozens of people over the years to dissuade her away from it.
IrishMike71 | Feb 23, 2011, 03:10 PM EST
Very Sad. As stated due to the economy there are more and more cases as unfortunate as this happening to people who had a wife/husband, home, family, job etc. Hopefully things will start looking up.
sirpeter | Feb 23, 2011, 02:54 PM EST
SteelTown..Yes it said that..But if she was drunk,she is not in her sane senses. I don't think she realized the danger she was in..Freezing to death believe it or not is a rather pleasant way to die. I have often called for an ambulance if i saw a wino covered in vomit and passed out. The ambulance would pick them up too. I try to keep a check on my anger on these topics. Because If this was about animal cruelty,there would be cry's of disgust and calls for lynchings. These people are as weak and helpless as any animal.An animal would have been forceably taken in even against it's will. How many people passed her in that freezing cold weather and just passed on..It would only have taken a phone call to save her life. The emergency response unit's have to respond.
aiccyonkers | Feb 23, 2011, 02:38 PM EST
The Irish Volunteers for the Homeless reaches out to and feeds hundreds of homeless people living on the streets of New York every week. It only requires a few hours of commitment each week if anybody would like to get involved. Please e-mail info@aislingcenter.org for more information.
curranart | Feb 23, 2011, 02:29 PM EST
Its ok for people to say out loud that someone must have known she was in danger or what ever. Try sleeping on the streets and find out for your selves, I had to do it years ago, all you get is dirty looks shunning abd verbal abuse. Very little help comes your way, not that most of these people are asking for help, most are locked in thier own little world,wondering why how and when its all going to end. Each day is a daunting task of surviving on little or nothing, any few pennys picked up are held tight with the hope that they grow into the price of the usless but needed bottle. Say what you want, I say try it out before saying negative or professor stuff, most of these people need someone taking them by the hand, If you cant do that,leave well alone.The numbers are growing,no one cares.
curranart | Feb 23, 2011, 02:21 PM EST
I think you will find that all Churches are locked at times when they should be open to help those who turn to thier faith in hours of need. Im not blaming the church,but and there is a but a big one. God bless this poor person, and God bless the many more out there suffering in silence. Soooooo sad.
SteelTown | Feb 23, 2011, 02:02 PM EST
Reply to sirpeter: as noted in the news sory, there are multitudes of outreach programs -- inlcuding St Brigid -- but junkies and lost souls will never find them!
SteelTown | Feb 23, 2011, 01:59 PM EST
It was indeed a long fall for Grace Farrell .. but I have seen many other souls taken. I arrived in NY in the East Village in 1978 (lived on 9th Street btw 1st & 2nd) when it was running amok with music & drugs. As much as we may all respect Grace Farrell's soul, I cannot help believe she slipped over the edge without a strong fortitude/and love for this city, which does eat the weak!
mcdolan | Feb 23, 2011, 01:46 PM EST
Very sad. RIP.
boydshield | Feb 23, 2011, 01:36 PM EST
and the church was locked where she could have come in from the cold?????
sirpeter | Feb 23, 2011, 01:27 PM EST
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
hyattsville | Feb 23, 2011, 12:37 PM EST
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.
feliciamaisey | Feb 23, 2011, 12:35 PM EST
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!
Searlit | Feb 23, 2011, 12:06 PM EST
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.
ellenred | Feb 23, 2011, 11:20 AM EST
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.
cabbagehead44 | Feb 23, 2011, 11:17 AM EST
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.
PhlutiePhan | Feb 23, 2011, 10:52 AM EST
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.
Weezie | Feb 23, 2011, 10:31 AM EST
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.
cillowen | Feb 23, 2011, 10:26 AM EST
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.
Liamkeyes | Feb 23, 2011, 10:26 AM EST
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.
JimmyHut | Feb 23, 2011, 10:21 AM EST
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.
cynthianealejan | Feb 23, 2011, 10:02 AM EST
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
KillarneyLass | Feb 23, 2011, 09:29 AM EST
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.
Jamcelt | Feb 23, 2011, 09:27 AM EST
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?
Tony Barry | Feb 23, 2011, 09:25 AM EST
SAD....That this poor woman had to die alone in the cold.
bridiegirl | Feb 23, 2011, 09:20 AM EST
I think it shows how bad off this country really is.
Newrone | Feb 23, 2011, 09:08 AM EST
Sad.
Newrone | Feb 23, 2011, 09:07 AM EST
Sad.