Mary Gurr had been drinking on the corner of Manor Street when she felt a pain in her chest. It was June 2004 and Mary then aged fifty two asked to be brought around to the familiar surroundings of a local church, where she had slept the previous few years. It was against this church that Mary was to die.

Mary Gurr in her youth had been a promising footballer and was offered professional trials with a French club. Mary, though already at a young age, was exhibiting the symptoms of alcoholism.

Her condition deteriorated over the coming years to the extent that she was drinking and living on the streets - mainly around Manor Street. From O'Hanlon's corner to where Smithfield meets the Quays - this inner city strip of bars, off licences, homeless hostels and concrete, was where Mary lived and drank.

In Mary and Manor Street, the Gurr family, Martin, Fran and Kenneth return for the first time to Manor Street and describe the anguish and helplessness of watching a cherished family member slowly die before their eyes on the streets of the North inner city.

Interviewees: Kenneth Gurr, Fran Gurr and Martin Gurr

Compiled and presented by: Ciaran Cassidy

Production Supervision: Peter Woods

First Broadcast June 2006

An Irish radio documentary from RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland - Documentary on One - the home of Irish radio documentaries