'Drug dealers are murderers' says broken hearted father of Aghalee native Matthew McGrath who died tragically fighting cocaine addiction

Tom McGrath was speaking from his Aghalee home days after he laid his young son to rest. And he begged other young people who are taking drugs or thinking about it to quit. "Don’t even try it. Go to the graveyard in Aghagallon and have a wee look at the headstone of a young fella at 22,” he said.

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Hundreds attended Matthew’s funeral last Thursday, where the priest, Canon Colm McBride described him as ‘a popular, intelligent, engineer with the world at his feet until drug dealers introduced him to cocaine’.

Tom simply describes his son as ‘the nicest young fella you could ever meet and I genuinely mean that’. "He was always up for a laugh. Words couldn’t describe him and that’s being honest – just such a nice fella.

“At his funeral if you had seen his mates – they all had T shirts printed saying ‘Mattie 22 Forever’,” said Tom, adding that he was very proud of the high praise his work colleagues at Portlenone Refridgeration Services had for Matthew who worked as an apprentice engineer but was so highly regarded he was entrusted to train another apprentice.

Tom and Matthew’s sister Amy described him as a ’bit of a joker’ who loved playing pranks and having fun. “All we have is happy memories of Matthew,” said Tom. “When I seen him laying in his coffin he still had that wee grin.”

Tom said Matthew and Amy were very close. “Sometimes parents are the last ones to hear anything. I didn’t realise how long Matthew was on that {cocaine}. I have only known for a couple of years but he was on it longer than that.”

Amy thinks he was taking cocaine possibly from before he was 18 years old. “I suppose it was probably me he opened up to first. He would have come in from wherever he was and ring me and I could hear it in his voice. He just sounded sad. He would say ‘hello’ but not much more and I would offer to go round. He would come round and then the tears would come and he kept saying ‘sorry’.

"He could never put into words what the drugs did to him. He just said it was bad and he didn’t like it. He doesn’t want to do it but he can’t help doing it. I would sit with him for hours as he would be crying,” said Amy who offered to get him help. However Matthew always said he would get the help himself.

In the last year he started opening up to his dad. Tom said Matthew would have come back from Lurgan on a Saturday night and had a beer with him. He asked his son if he was still taking cocaine and told him to get off it. “He would have put his arm around me and with tears rolling down his face saying ‘I can’t’.”

Tom said it was hard to see his son in such distress but added that Matthew promised he would try to get off it. “I know from speaking to a lot of his friends, he did try,” said Tom, adding that Matthew had recently joined a gym and was going regularly.

Amy said: “When he was sober he was doing so well. He went to the gym the Saturday before he passed. He came home and made a fry and then went back out to the gym. After that he went drinking.”

“That was the start of the weekend and the end of his life,” said Tom.

Amy explained that Matthew came home on the Saturday night but then went out again on the Sunday evening. He got a lift home from Lurgan with his Dad who told him to go to bed early with a pint of water as he had to get up for work in the morning. That was the last time he saw his son alive.

Asked about those who deal drugs to people like Matthew, Tom said: “They are murderers. That’s the way I would describe them.”

When asked what he would say to those who are currently on drugs, Tom said: “Go up to Aghagallon graveyard and have a wee look at the headstone of a young fella at 22.”

Amy said: “Just don’t do it, for your family as well.” Tom said: “Think of your family. I am not saying Matthew didn’t. He did his best. Nobody forced him to take the drugs. But when it is put in your face – once or twice and that’s you hooked.”

Tom said it could be better advertised where people can go to get help for family members who need help.

“Matthew would have done anything for anybody. If he had a penny left and I needed it, he would have given it. If I needed money or a lift anywhere, he was there. He would have given you the skin off his back,” said Amy. She added that Matthew was a hard worker who always tried to solve problems with no fuss, just like his dad.

Tom said: “I would like to put a special message out to all young ones to think. Don’t even try that (drugs) once. You will hear people saying it’s great, it does this and does that. It will put you in a hole in the ground. It will bring you down with depression.”

He said it has left his family shattered. “If we can save one life,” he said.

If you need help please contact Lifeline - Lifeline is a free, confidential telephone helpline. It is available anytime every day. telephone 0808 808 8000. To speak to someone in the Samaritans call 116 123 or email [email protected]