DETECTIVES HAVE urged two men to come forward following an assault on a man in Ballymun on St Patrick’s Day. The victim died yesterday afternoon.
The man, named informally as Joseph Connolly, suffered head injuries after being assaulted during a row with the pair outside a pharmacy on the Ballymun Road in north Dublin shortly after 9pm on Thursday.
The 48-year-old, who was single, sustained serious head injuries. He was conscious when he was picked up by ambulance following the assault.
He was originally taken to the Mater hospital but was later transferred to Beaumont.
His condition deteriorated overnight and he died yesterday afternoon.
Speaking at a press conference held at Ballymun Garda station yesterday, Garda spokesman Supt John Gilligan urged those involved in the attack to come forward.
“We believe what happened was possibly as a result of something very simple and we think that if the people now think about it, come forward, or if someone brings them forward to us we will deal with it, we will deal with it in confidence, we will deal with it discreetly and with dignity to the people involved and we believe we can sort this out if people just take that step now.”
A Garda spokesman later said the investigation was not a murder inquiry.
Local parish priest Fr Gerry Corcoran, who knew the dead man, offered his sympathies to his family.
“He was a very inoffensive man from a nice family,” Fr Corcoran said. “Our prayers are with his family.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí at Ballymun on 01 6664400 or the Garda confidential line on 1800 666 111.
Separately, a 19-year-old woman was arrested in Northern Ireland in connection with the stabbing of a 21-year-old man in the Argyle Street area of Derry at about 7.45pm on St Patrick’s Day.
Elsewhere, eight people were arrested in the Holyland area of Belfast on Thursday for a number of offences including disorderly behaviour, criminal damage and assault.
A number of individuals were reported for on-street drinking and a large amount of alcohol was confiscated.
The area, which is home to thousands of students, has previously witnessed large-scale disturbances on St Patrick’s Day, with 19 people arrested in 2009, when the cost of policing totalled £35,000. – (Additional reporting, PA)