Gardaí are investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a man's body in a house in south Dublin this morning.
A friend of the 42-year-old man found him upstairs in his home at Rockbrook Cottages off Edmondstown Road, Rathfarnham at about 10am this morning.
He had suffered what is believed to be gunshot wounds to the head.
There was no sign of forced entry into the house and no gun was found on the scene.
It is understood the body had been lying in the property a number of days before it was found. The man, who was single, was last seen on St Patrick's Day in the Templeogue area.
He worked as a mechanic in a garage in Templeogue and had been living alone at the house for several years.
The scene was cordoned off for forensic examination.
State pathologist Marie Cassidy carried out a preliminary post-mortem examination at the scene this afternoon. The body was then removed to James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown for further tests.
Investigating gardaí have appealed for anyone who noticed anything suspicious in the area since St Patrick’s Day to contact them.