THE FAMILY of murdered man Francis "Frankie" Dunne have raised over €5,000 to give back to the services which helped care for him after he succumbed to alcohol dependency and became homeless.
Mr Dunne's body was found in the grounds of an empty and derelict house in Cork in late December 2019.
A murder investigation is underway after it was discovered that Mr Dunne was violently beaten before his death, and that his head and arms were cut off in an attack which his family have described as a "horrendous nightmare".
A GoFundMe set up by his family to help fund homeless services in the city says "we hope no one else ever has to suffer the horrendous nightmare of what Frankie endured in the final hours of his life.
"No-one should be left so vulnerable on our streets. No-one should be beaten or murdered because they find themselves helpless due to alcoholism or for any other reason."
Mr Dunne is sorely missed by his family and friends (Dunne family)The post describes Mr Dunne as a father, grandfather, brother, uncle, nephew and friend to many in Cork.
Mr Dunne lost a lot in life, his family say, but he never lost their support or love.
Mr Dunne had a second family that he loved too, the post reads.
"That family were his friends living in tents, homeless shelters or on the streets of his city, Cork".
"They were their own community of friends and comrades but without a front door of their own or even a mattress to lay down on at times, people [to] whom an empty derelict house seemed like a safe place to have few drinks, a sing song and lay down out of the cold."
The family set up the GoFundMe to help Frankie's 'other' family, with all the proceeds going directly to the Cork Simon Community and Caring For Cork's Homeless.
As the donations hit €5,155 over the weekend, family member Susan Martin thanked everyone for their generosity and announced that €4,000 would be going to Cork Simon, with the remainder to be donated to Caring for Cork.
While the target amount has been reached, the GoFundMe remains open for donations.
Ms Martin had previously written that "our hearts are broken in pieces, but to you all, on our darkest days you gave us a little bit of strength".
To read the post or to donate in memory of Frankie Dunne, you can visit the GoFundMe here.
