Community heartbroken at tragic death of Rev Grainger

Anton McNulty

The circumstances of the tragic death of the Reverend Roger Grainger have left all who knew him heartbroken at the thought of him suffering, the congregation at his funeral service were told.
Reverend Roger Grainger (81) died last Sunday night week when his car became submerged in water after it got caught in a flash flood close to his home in the village of Dugort on Achill Island.
His funeral service was held on Saturday on Achill with a large number of mourners attending the service in St Thomas’ Church of Ireland Church, which is situated approximately 500 metres from where Rev Grainger died.
The service was led by the Bishop of Tuam, Patrick Rooke along with local rector Rev Val Rogers, Rev Stan Evans from Clifden and Achill Parish Priest, Fr Michael Gormally.
Rev Grainger’s sons, Matthew and Daniel, were in attendance and in a brief address to the congregation they thanked the people of Achill and the wider Mayo community for welcoming their father into the community after he moved to Achill from Yorkshire in the last year.
They explained that he could see why his father had fallen in love with Achill and told them that the last year had been one of his happiest.
Rev Grainger was a constant visitor to Achill for over 40 years and decided to move permanently, following the death of his wife Doreen in 2013. He had recently bought a house in Dugort and was on his way home after having dinner when the accident occurred.
He had previously lived in Wakefield in Yorkshire where he worked as a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital and had also worked as an actor. The theme tune to The Last of the Summer Wine television show which Rev Grainger appeared in on a number of occasions was played during his service.  
Rev Rogers described his colleague as a man of world wisdom whose death had left everyone heartbroken ‘at the thought of such a lovely man finishing the way he did’.
“This most gentle man … I hope he did not have time to be afraid when the car went under the water,” he said while also joking that ‘he would have been a very poor subject for a long lingering illness’.
In his address to the congregation, Bishop Rooke said Rev Grainger was in the wrong place at the wrong time but his short presence in Achill had been a welcome tonic for all who met him.
“A real character whose presence amongst us in the west of Ireland this past year was such a welcome tonic to this parish and the wider community here. Now so soon after welcoming him amongst us we find ourselves commending him back to God. We do so acknowledging that Roger himself was a faithful servant to his Lord and devoted his life and work to the service of others. Gentle, compassionate, clever, he used his God given gifts to the betterment of others,” he said.
Following the service, his body was taken for cremation and his ashes were taken to the UK where he will be interred beside his late wife.
The inquest into his death which took place in Castlebar on Friday heard that Rev Grainger died as a result of drowning when his car became trapped between a wall and a ditch.
Sergeant Rory Brennan told the inquest that the garda investigation is not yet complete but it appeared Rev Grainger drove downhill into the flood at approximately 10pm on Sunday, September 13.
His car became submerged in water, and as a result of the depth of water, it appeared Rev Grainger was unable to control the vehicle. Sgt Brennan explained it appeared the car went into the middle of the flood before becoming trapped.
Despite the best efforts of locals they were unable to rescue Rev Grainger from the car. His body was eventually retrieved by the fire service and he was pronounced dead at 11pm.
Sgt Brennan explained the road was adjacent to the sea and there was a high tide and a northerly wind at the time. The drains were unable to deal with the water from the torrential rain which fell that day and the water was backed up, resulting in flooding.
He told the Coroner, John O’Dwyer, that locals had never seen the water so high and there had been a ‘freak occurrence’ in the weather.
Pathologist Dr Fadel Bennani confirmed death was due to drowning and there were no other injuries sustained in the accident. He said blood tests for alcohol also proved negative.
Superintendent SeΡn Colleran applied for an adjournment of the inquest to allow for the completion of the Garda investigation. Mr O’Dwyer acceded to the request and adjourned the hearing until December 14.