‘Cocaine took hold of him’ - dad’s warning to young people after son took his own life

The heartbroken father of a Co Armagh man who took his own life has pleaded with other young people not to use drugs.

Tom McGrath told how his son Matthew was unable to kick a vicious addiction to cocaine.

The 22-year-old engineer, who was from Agahalee, died last weekend and his funeral took place at St Patrick’s Church in Aghagallon on Thursday.

In the years before his death, Matthew struggled with his addiction and ran up debts with credit card companies, his credit union and family members.

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His devastated father said he is worried about the impact of drugs on other young people.

Speaking to The Irish News, he warned: “Do not go down that road or you are going to end up like Mathew, full stop.

“You are handing money to what I call criminals, who are only taking advantage of you.”

The father-of-three said he is concerned that young people don’t hear the important anti-drugs message.

“I just want to put that out there for young ones and for parents, to keep an eye on them,” he said.

“I would just like to bring that out in the open and let parents know what’s going on if they don’t know.

“And if young ones can listen – if you go down that road, that could be your end result.”

Mr McGrath told how his son, who he believes was using cocaine for several years, was unable to free himself from the grip of the drug.

“There’s half a dozen nights over the past year he would come in, from maybe Lurgan or wherever he was, and he would have sat down and had a beer with me,” he said.

I would have said, ‘Matthew, can you not kick that (habit), stop that’, and he was in tears, streaming down his face, saying ‘I can’t, I wish I could, but I can’t’

—  Tom McGrath

“I would have said, ‘Matthew, can you not kick that (habit), stop that’, and he was in tears, streaming down his face, saying ‘I can’t, I wish I could, but I can’t’.

“He always had a smile on his face. This just seemed to kick in at the weekends when he went out and had a drink.”

The proud father told how his youngest son was valued by the firm he worked for, Portglenone Refrigeration, and revealed how the pair had shared a taxi from Lurgan last Sunday before Matthew was dropped off at his mother’s home, where he was found several hours later by his sister.

At his Requiem Mass on Thursday, Canon Colm McBride said Matthew had an active social life and enjoyed several healthy interests.

“But then somewhere along the way he was introduced to cocaine,” he said.

“And, in spite of pleas by his family, it took hold of him.

“And the depression which followed on this occasion led to his death by his own hand.”

He said Matthew was aware of the damage he was doing to himself.

“The thing is he knew what it did to him,” he said.

“He recognised the pattern. He was working on it. He was making a sincere effort to give it up and wanted to get his life back with God’s help.

“He just ran out of time.

Canon McBride also turned his attention to those peddle “misery and death” to young people.

“Matthew made his own decisions, but there are those who are culpable in his death,” he said.

“Those who make their living plying drugs. Ultimately selling misery and death.

“There will of course be a judgement, in time, more severe than any earthly court could hand down.”

In recent months concerns have been raised about a notorious drug gang operating in north Armagh known as The Firm.

The crime group has been linked to murder and other drug-related deaths in in north Armagh in recent months.