The killing of Dylan McCarthy in a weekend attack in Co Kildare may not result in a murder charge because of the nature of the assault that cost him his life, Garda sources said.
They believe it may be very difficult to prove exactly how he sustained his fatal injuries and who struck the blows, meaning several people may face lesser charges rather than one suspect being charged with murder.
Gardaí believe Mr McCarthy and his father were attacked by a group of people during the incident, which began in a pub on Dublin Street in Monasterevin in the early hours of Sunday morning and spilled out on to the street. The 29-year-old victim was injured on the street and fell into an unresponsive state.
Mr McCarthy was treated by paramedics on the scene and then taken to Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin where he was pronounced dead at the hospital on Monday.
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The dead man’s father also suffered head injuries and he remained in Tallaght hospital on Tuesday evening.
A major criminal investigation into the incident had already commenced on Sunday, with the scene of the attack sealed off and examined by members of the Garda Technical Bureau. Gardaí were still waiting for the analysis of the results of a postmortem to determine if Mr McCarthy died as a result of blows received or if he may also have banged his head when he fell to the ground.
A number of CCTV cameras in the Dublin Street area are believed to have captured the incident, though the scene was chaotic and involved multiple people. Gardaí believe they have identified a number of people who were in the pub when the dispute began and were also on the scene when Mr McCarthy was fatally injured.
However, no arrests had been made by Tuesday evening as gardaí continued to gather evidence in the case.
Mr McCarthy was originally from Kilmallock, Co Limerick, and had travelled to Co Kildare at the weekend to celebrate the birth of a baby within the family.
He was with family members in the pub on Saturday night when a dispute broke out with a group that it is believed were not known to him.
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to come forward and for those with camera footage to make it available at Kildare town Garda station, where an incident room has been established.
As the incident occurred on the street, investigating gardaí believe dashcam footage recorded by drivers on Dublin Street between 12.15am and 12.45am on Sunday may prove crucial.
Mr McCarthy previously played for Kilmallock GAA club, which also paid tribute to him, saying it was “with the heaviest of hearts” they were extending their sympathies to the McCarthy family.
Fr Chris O’Donnell, Kilmallock parish priest, said “everybody is heartbroken” following the death of the 29-year-old while socialising with family in Monasterevin, Co Kildare.
“The family are the quietest, nicest people. People would only speak good of them. It is every family’s nightmare,” said Fr O’Donnell.
“There is nothing but prayers and love for them. They were just good, honest people in the wrong place at the wrong time and now we are left with this awful sense of the tragic nature of life and violence and repercussions.”
