Intruder beats up elderly man

A Clare man in his late 60s was critically ill last night after an intruder beat him up. The man was rushed to Limerick Regional Hospital after he was discovered by a neighbour shortly before 9 a.m. yesterday. He had been tied up and blindfolded after someone broke into his house at Bridgetown in O'Brien's Bridge. It was not clear last night whether anything had been taken.