Gardai in Co Roscommon yesterday questioned a man serving a life sentence in Castlerea Prison about the murder of 81-year-old Mrs Nancy Nolan in the village of Ballaghlea in February.
It is understood that the prisoner, who is in his late 30s, had been on temporary release at the time. He is being held for a murder in the mid-1980s.
It is known the man had been in Ballaghlea on February 15th when Mrs Nolan was attacked in her home and beaten to death. A post-mortem showed she died of head injuries.
Gardai believe Mrs Nolan might have encountered the man earlier in the day and might have passed a remark about him which he might have overheard.
Mrs Nolan was well known in the Galway-Roscommon border area village. She had been married to a former national school teacher and had six children, some still living in the area. Her husband, Michael, died 10 years ago.
Shortly after the murder the gardai arrested an elderly man and his son. However, little emerged from the interviews.
It is expected gardai investigating the murder will complete their questioning of the man arrested yesterday and he will return to Castlerea Prison while a file is prepared for the DPP.
Meanwhile, gardai in Donegal are investigating a death in suspicious circumstances in the past few days.
A 23-year-old man has been questioned in Co Donegal about the death of Mr Stephen Fletcher (19), who was knocked down by a car and killed in the Castle Lane car-park in Buncrana on Friday night.
There had been a dispute just before Mr Fletcher was knocked down. It is understood a local man came forward after news of Mr Fletcher's death in Altnagelvin Hospital, Derry, was released.
Gardai in Longford last night confirmed, following a post-mortem examination, that Mr Brendan Maguire (39), a Longford man who was involved in a fracas in the town early yesterday, died of a heart attack.
According to witness statements to gardai, Mr Maguire, who was married and lived at McEoin Park in the town, was in a chip shop when a fight broke out on the street outside.
Gardai were told Mr Maguire tried to break up the fight but fell and died at the scene. They had expected to question a number of men. Last night, they said his death was not suspicious.