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Our Lady of Muswell Roman Catholic Church in North London where William Kelly regularly attended mass. Google Maps

Irish twin brothers in London died weeks apart and nobody can find their family

A campaign is underway to give them a respectful funeral.

A NEWSPAPER FOR the Irish community in London has launched a campaign to try and arrange a respectful burial for two Irish twins who died in London.

The Irish Post says that William and John Kelly (77) died separately within a number of weeks of each other and that their bodies are being kept in different morgues.

The paper has found that their sister died two years ago and that it is unknown whether they have any other next-of-kin. They are believed to have been estranged for a number of years.

Their sister Mary died two years ago.

The hope is that a family member can be found to claim their bodies and a GoFundMe page has been set up to cover the cost of a memorial for the pair.

If their relatives are not found their bodies will be buried by the hospital in public health funeral, commonly referred to as a ‘pauper’s grave’.

William died on 29 January and John was only found to have also passed away after William’s friend went to find him to tell him news of his brother.

It’s been established that the Kellys were born on 27 August 1938 and were from Turner’s Cross in Cork. Records suggest that their mother’s maiden name was Murphy.

The pair moved to London in the mid-1950s.

The fundraising drive was started yesterday and is attempting to raise £2,000.

You can donate here.

Read: ‘I’m Irish, I live in London and I’ve joined Labour because of Jeremy Corbyn’ >

Read: There’s an epic Toy Show party for Irish emigrants happening in London this weekend >

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21 Comments
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    Mute Fatray Kennedy
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    Jan 13th 2014, 12:29 PM

    This could be the start of equal rights for men in the family courts.

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    Mute Emily O Sullivan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 12:49 PM

    And women

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    Mute Peace for All
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    Jan 13th 2014, 1:01 PM

    Emily you are getting red thumbed but I agree with you, this is a win win regardless of gender. It will discourage extreme vengefulness from all sides.

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    Mute Emily O Sullivan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 1:12 PM

    I have no problem with red thumbs. I’m delighted with getting some transparency. I’ve no doubt men have been burned but I also know if a case where a child abuser gets one hr access to kids pw. This is supervised by the HSE at the taxpayers expense. At one stage a male social worker was going as a body guard to the female supervisor as the man was in an agitated state. This man has not paid any maintenance & has cost the state a HSE supervisor & a risk assessment done by a forensic psychologist. The judge on more than one occasion spoke of his regrets at not spending more time with his kids. There for he has takin a bias view and is putting these women’s kids at significant risk of harm. The woman is afraid to try and get a maintenance order for fear she will anger this already angry man. Transparency for this case could be beneficial to the children involved

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:25 PM

    And we have all heard of cases where allegations of abuse were raised by the wi… Ehhhh female spouse to gain legal advantage. If abuse has not been proven it’s very dangerous to allege injustice without a conviction.

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    Mute Fatray Kennedy
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:28 PM

    You are actually being offensive to men who have mistreated by a court systems blatantly in favour of women Emily.

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    Mute Emily O Sullivan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:07 PM

    Absolutely Paul, in the above case I know of clear evidence of abuse was found. It was also witnessed by others outside the family

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    Mute Emily O Sullivan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:09 PM

    @ Fatray. Was it not you who started on equal rights for men? I didn’t see any equality in your first statement. I clearly state that “yes men get burned but so do women”.

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    Mute Sara McSweeney
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:07 PM

    @Fatray – on another article you think it’s ok to suggest that children with special needs lose their equal rights…

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    Mute Ciarán Masterson
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:38 PM

    @Emily O’Sullivan

    Has the perpetrator been charged with the abuse?

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    Mute Emily O Sullivan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 9:28 PM

    Yes he has

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    Mute Emily O Sullivan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 9:37 PM

    @ciaran. The whole court system is dated. I know of men who have no rights to their kids because the judge listens to a bitter ex and takes her side. On the other hand judges are given clear evidence of abuse and instead of stopping access they will cost d state on supervision. Every child should have a right to see both parents unless it’s unsafe to do so. The case which I spoke of, I believe one child wants to see the father and the mother believes once it’s safe for the child then it should be the child’s right

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    Mute Catherine Mill
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    Jan 13th 2014, 11:49 PM

    yes, but Family law courts are civil and not criminal and there in lies a problem.

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    Mute Catherine Mill
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    Jan 14th 2014, 12:11 AM

    yes, women get burned too and children especially in DV and abuse cases. Statistics prove it.
    You mentioned burned!!!!!! yes strong protective mothers get called witches in secret courts in Ireland, UK and USA, have all property taken, just like the old days. Proof available.
    These judgments do need to be seen by journalists and especially service users in order to understand the goings in these secret courts. My own solicitor did not believe me until he read the paperwork.
    It has to be noted here that judges etc are groomed to see all Irish mothers as “feeble minded”
    it has been proven that only a tiny % of women make up abuse allegations. it was a myth from olden times re all women being Eve ill like Eve.
    If you happen to get a serious Roman Catholic judge, he will tell women about their place in society and not to dare complain re their violent husbands. Same for children. Abused children also get pedophile Richard Gardiner “Threat Therapy” to break them down- also known as mental torture, but legalised for the HSE agents. I have witnessed it. Incredible how it is allowed.
    What about Hitler’s best interest of the child slogan? and how HSE agents try to get Electric Shock orders to burn out all memories of abuse so the child can be placed with the abuser- full custody- as the judge felt the violent father deserved a chance to parent.
    One has to be inside these courts to know the truth.
    Open transparency is the order of the 21st century.
    Any judge not allowing other service users and members of the public in is obviously hiding something.
    Also with the new business in fostering children, and children being the commodity and so much money being spent, the public have a right to see why children are being removed into corporate care so much now considering they are 7 times more likely to be abused in HSE care than in natural families.
    It is all about the money.
    Solicitors solicit business for the court corporation.
    Both sides solicitors win $$$$$ no matter what.
    it is all decided before the court jeters come into the court to play their roles to the service users.
    Now it is almost impossible to get anyone to represent against HSE with so many being threatened with loosing their own children if they dare go against them.
    So much happening in secret, and the public being kept in the dark.
    Yes Alan is aware for years. He has seen the evidence with his own eyes.
    This Attorney has full understanding of the situation and knows about Ireland too. it is the same pattern in the UK and former colonies.

    http://www.domesticviolenceabuseandchildcustody.com/
    “For more than two decades, protective mothers from every state in the country (as well as overseas) have been ordered to turn their children over into the care, and even the custody, of the children’s abusive fathers. This occurs even when there is adequate evidence of child abuse, domestic violence, and other harmful behaviors on the part of the father. Courts claim to be doing this to ensure that both parents remain involved in their children’s lives after divorce or separation, but in fact, in most of these cases, precisely the opposite happens: mothers are denied any meaningful relationship, or even contact, with their children. In the meantime, male supremacist groups claim unfair treatment in the family courts, seeking shared or total custody in order to avoid paying child support and to maintain men’s traditional control over their partner and their children.”

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    Mute Ciarán Masterson
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    Jan 14th 2014, 4:34 PM

    @Emily O Sullivan

    Is the alleged victim one of his children? If so, then surely the authorities could convince the judge to deny him access on the grounds of Article 42.5 of the Constitution (the amendment passed in the children referendum has not yet taken effect, as far as I know). Furthermore, letting him have access might constitute reckless endangerment, which is an offence under Irish law, even if there is supervision because of the risk that the accused might kill or incapacitate the supervisors. If the judge still doesn’t deny access, then the authorities can appeal.

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    Mute Siobhan McQuillan
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    Jan 14th 2014, 5:51 PM

    It could also be the start of equal rights for women!

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    Mute Emily O Sullivan
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    Jan 14th 2014, 7:57 PM

    No it’s a sibling. I believe if supervision is lifted than an appeal would have to take place.

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    Mute Emily Elephant
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    Jan 13th 2014, 12:37 PM

    I know not many people like Alan Shatter, but he ought to be given due credit for this one.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:37 PM

    How exactly? By transferring responsibility for keeping what goes on in Family Law Courts secret to the people responsible for what goes on in the Family Law Courts?

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    Mute margaret
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    Jan 13th 2014, 12:32 PM

    About time. Current system like a Star Chamber.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 13th 2014, 1:08 PM

    It’s now at the judges discretion – in other words – no change. Don’t expect to see a press reporter as a regular feature in Family Law Courts.

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    Mute Peace for All
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    Jan 13th 2014, 1:36 PM

    I’m sure the Journal will have a correspondent in the lobby if and when it’s required. I can see solicitors asking Judges to consider media reporting in the event of wilful breaches of court orders and obstruction in relation to access. I remember one of the complaints about in camera was that there was no data on typical maintenance payments available anywhere, nor normal expectations around access. I see this as a step in the right direction, mostly as people considering going to court will not be living in a speculative sense of what they are entitled to.

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    Mute Peace for All
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    Jan 13th 2014, 1:38 PM

    or being easily misled by solicitors into prolonging their business at the expense of anybody

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:21 PM

    Peace,
    How will the press know when their presence is required? Who gets to decide when to invite them in?
    And if a court reporter gets in who gets to decide what they can report?
    So far we have seen a Family Law Reporting Project (Carol Coulter) and a Child Law Reporting Project (FLAC Involvement) and the public as a result knows SFA about how those courts operate. No real statistics were published about case outcomes, just a selection of brief case summaries that collectively say nothing.

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    Mute Peace for All
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:19 PM

    Ok you have me thinking of reasonable use of this change and I guess we will have to wait and see. I assumed there would be reporting of orders and settlements anonymously, and then for more public interest cases like the surrogacy case last year perhaps a more in depth analysis in reporting.

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    Mute Catherine Mill
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    Jan 13th 2014, 11:46 PM

    You are correct.

    Maybe now orders will be written down by judges so parents can appeal, as without a written order a service user cannot appeal.
    Maybe too children who raise issues of abuse will not have their inheritance rights extinguished.?

    Also now art 6 of human rights will have to be upheld with HSE etc giving copies of reports to parents and not just their solicitors, giving them the chance to rebut what is in the reports. This will stop HSE etc using the excuse that the reports might upset parents. Yes, sure untruths would hurt. But it was a nice trick while it lasted, using the excuse that this is how it is in our Irish courts- Star chamber inquisition courts of old.
    Let us also hope the ex parte rule is also confined to the past.
    There is so much that needs changing in this old draconian system that anyone who has experience could write far better than any journalist or Carol Coulter.
    How many service users suffer “legal Abuse Syndrome” from not receiving justice.?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeGdK2cvNY8

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    Mute Peace for All
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    Jan 13th 2014, 12:58 PM

    About time, at least the chance for a child to know both its parents equally is going to be the normalised. We will see patterns now , and it’s never about identifying the families affected but seeing how both children are used for leverage and payments varying widely for similar cases create unjust outcomes for these families. The best thing this will do is not prevent family breakdowns but show the cost and waste to a family to go adversarial.
    Welcome to the 21st century

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    Mute Louise Ní Riain
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:45 PM

    ABOUT TIME!!

    6
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