Man who died suddenly on Armagh's Mall named locally

THE man who died suddenly at Armagh's Mall this morning has been named locally as Matthew 'Chitchu' Henry.

Mr Henry had been living in Craigavon and was a former pupil of the Southern Regional College in Portadown and Drumcree College.

He was a father to two young girls.

Police cordoned off part of the Mall close to the War Memorial and the area round the courthouse after two runner found Mr Henry at the railings around 7.30am this morning (Sunday, 3 october).

Police said they were not treating his death as suspicous.

In a brief statement they said, "Police attended the scene of the sudden death of a man in the College Hill area of Armagh this morning. The death is not being treated as suspicious."

Family members paid tribute to Mr Henry.

His cousin Sarah Jane Harper said, "Life is so flipping cruel you weren't just a cousin you were like a brother to me, always looked out for me, never turned your back on me. To say I will miss you is an understatement cuz, until we meet again."

Another cousin stated, "One of a few who was always checking in on me. ALWAYS. I always checked in on him also but the last few weeks he seemed really happy. I missed his call last night, I rang him back but no answer... I’m gutted I couldn’t help or save him this time round. It’s too late now... You’ll be missed by many no doubt about that. RIP cuz I’ll see you on the other side."

It's the second tragedy to hit the family in as many years. Mr Henry's sister Hannah passed away in January 2024.

Mr Henry is survived by his father Martin and brother Mark. He was also predeceased by his mother Denise.

A freind stated, "A genuine friend with a heart of gold. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you again."