Galway family still seeking answers for six year old’s death

The inquest into the death of a six year old Connemara girl was told that critical blood tests that should have been carried out on her six months before she died never were.

One of the country’s leading paediatric endocrinologists, Dr. Susan O'Connell from Cork University Hospital, was giving evidence yesterday, at the third day of the resumed inquest into the death of young Aibhe Conroy in December 2011.

Earlier, Aibhe's teacher, Caroline Ni Chonghaile, told the hearing that Aibhe's death was very upsetting to both the school and the close-knit community in which she lived.

Ms Ni Chonghaile also said that at the start of the school year in 2011, Kathleen Conroy had told her that she was expecting a referral for Aibhe to Dublin very soon, and so she would have to take Aibhe out of school with little or no notice.

This was the third day of the resumed inquest into the death of the little Galway girl from Gowla in Connemara – an inquest her parents have battled for years to bring to hearing.

Kathleen and John Conroy were accompanied by their daughter – Aibhe’s younger sister – to the Coroner’s Court in Dublin this week.

On Tuesday, doctors had defended their treatment of Aibhe, despite protests from her family over their daughter’s medical care.

This week marks the third time in which the inquest into Aibhe’s death has been convened – but the underlying cause of death has yet to be established.

See full inquest coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune.