Gardai in Limerick have be gun two murder investigations and are investigating two other serious incidents in the city following a series of unrelated attacks in the past five days.
In the latest attack, a man died in hospital after being found with stab wounds at a green area in Pine View Gardens in the Moyross estate shortly after 1 a.m. on Monday.
He was Mr John O'Sullivan (24), of Craevel Park, Moyross. The area was sealed off for forensic examination yesterday and a man in his 20s has been detained for questioning at Henry Street Garda station.
A murder inquiry is also taking place into the death of a man on Sunday evening after he was found unconscious in Lady's Lane, Parnell Street, on Friday night. He was Mr Anthony Casey (45), who was unemployed, from Griffith Avenue, Ballinacurra-Weston.
Gardai want to hear from any witnesses in the area, which is close to the railway station and a taxi rank. The Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, carried out a post-mortem on the two bodies yesterday. Neither murder is believed to be related to a number of ongoing feuds in the city between criminal gangs and between extended families.
Meanwhile, a man is in a stable condition in hospital after being found unconscious at Mount Kennett Place in the city centre shortly after midnight yesterday. Mr Martin Carroll (31), from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, was beaten up after he left a pub at Steamboat Quay.
Another man is being treated at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital after being found with head injuries at Roxboro Shopping Centre on Saturday at 6 p.m. However, gardai are satisfied that Mr Michael McMahon, in his 40s, of Glasgow Park, fell accidentally. The deputy mayor, Cllr Maria Byrne, said the three violent incidents did not take from the fact that Limerick was one of "the best cities in the State to live in, work in or visit".
The Limerick East TD, Mr Willie O'Dea (Fianna Fail), said the city had an unusually high proportion of high-profile crimes, but city crime figures had fallen by 21 per cent between 1996 and 2000.
"The Garda figures show that the level of serious crime in Limerick per head of population is less than Waterford, Meath, Carlow and Longford," Mr O'Dea said.