Man who died after swimming across river Liffey following attack remembered as a ‘free spirit’

Thomas Griffin, 31, has been remembered as a "free spirit" after he died from wounds sustained during an assault. Griffin was attacked on the night of Saturday, May 30th, in the vicinity of the War Memorial Gardens in Chapelizod, Dublin. He then swam across the River Liffey to the Chapelizod Road side, where he received treatment from paramedics before being taken to hospital. He died the following day. His funeral service was held at the Church of the Most Holy Sacrament in Cherry Orchard. His sister, Hannahrose Griffin, spoke at the service, sharing that her brother loved horses and was a talented boxer. "He had the strength and courage to know that when life knocks you down, you get up," she told mourners. "Thomas was my protector, my best friend and my tormentor. He was loved beyond all measure by our parents." She added that the family's "hearts are broken" over the loss of a person who had "touched so many lives" and left a space that "can never be filled." Parish priest Fr Michael Murtagh recalled celebrating the first anniversary Mass of Thomas Griffin's brother, James, who was fatally wounded in a stabbing incident in 2014. The chief mourners included his parents, brothers, sister, sons, and stepson.

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He had the strength and courage to know that when life knocks you down, you get up.