GARDAÍ HAVE upgraded their investigation into the death of a Co Offaly publican earlier this week to a murder inquiry after a postmortem showed he died of head injuries.
The postmortem carried out by State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy yesterday found that Matt Farrell (64) had been beaten about the head.
Mr Farrell was found tied to a chair in the downstairs area of his pub, The Gaelic bar, in Daingean by his son Matthew at about 7.30am on Wednesday. Both father and son lived in an area connected to the pub.
About 100 gardaí have been drafted into the investigation of Mr Farrell’s death.
Gardaí have renewed their appeal for anyone with information to contact the incident room at Tullamore Garda station at 057-9327078.
Garda spokesman Supt John Gilligan said senior gardaí from headquarters, along with local officers, the Garda Technical Bureau and officers from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, were involved in determining how Mr Farrell died.
He said Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy has become personally involved in the investigation, reflecting the seriousness of the crime. “He has been in constant touch with the senior officers here to ensure all the necessary resources have been deployed to assist in the investigation,” he said.
“We have, in relation to every aspect, from technical to air support and division search team, over 100 people involved.
“We in the Garda Síochána believe the protection of life and property comes before everything else. “We immediately have to adopt an approach that every possible resource is given to this investigation,” he said.
Former parish priest Fr Paddy O’Byrne said no funeral arrangements had been made yet.
A widower, Mr Farrell had four children and a number of grandchildren and siblings, all living in the midlands.
Initially, it was thought Mr Farrell may have suffered a heart-attack during or after his ordeal. He had been sleeping on a couch downstairs as he suffered from arthritis, and was a large man who had difficulty climbing the stairs.
The last person to see him alive was a barmaid, Catherine Stapleton, as he locked up for the night.
The pub had been burgled three times in the last decade and, while gardaí would not confirm if thieves escaped with any money, detectives are looking into all incidents in the area.
In one incident last month, two armed men tied up a publican and two of his customers at Gunning’s pub at Rathconrath near Mullingar, about 40km away.