A young journalist was in a critical condition in hospital last night after being stabbed in the neck early on Saturday in what gardaí believe was a frenzied, random attack.
Máiréad O'Dwyer (27), who works as a researcher for Newstalk 106 radio station, was returning home in the early hours after a night out with colleagues when she was set upon in the Lourdes Road-Ave Marie Road area of Rialto in south Dublin.
Garda sources said Ms O'Dwyer's injuries suggest a long bladed knife was used in the attack. The knife entered one side of her neck, seriously damaging her larynx, before exiting at the other side.
She also sustained a number of wounds to her shoulder and upper chest area.
After the attack Ms O'Dwyer ran towards her home banging on doors of neighbouring houses and shouting for help. However, because the incident took place at about 3am she could not wake anybody. Ms O'Dwyer, who is originally from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, was just yards from her home at the time.
She slumped to the ground and began to lose consciousness before neighbours came out to investigate the noise and found her in a pool of blood. The emergency services were alerted and Ms O'Dwyer was taken by ambulance to St James's Hospital.
She underwent almost eight hours of emergency surgery. Although her condition was described as critical last night, gardaí are hopeful she will survive. "She lost a huge amount of blood and she's really very lucky to have survived," said one senior Garda source.
"The weapon used seems to have had a very long blade. If the ambulance hadn't got to her as quick as it did, we would be investigating a murder, no doubt about it."
Gardaí are working on the theory that robbery was the most likely motive for the attack. They believe that although none of the victim's belongings were missing, the attack may have "gone wrong" before the attacker fled without taking anything.
However, gardaí have not ruled out a possible sexual motive.
Detectives fear the attacker may strike again if he is not caught. They are hopeful Ms O'Dwyer may be able to help identify him when she is well enough to be interviewed. Given the nature of her injuries, gardaí believe it will be a number of days, at the earliest, before she can be interviewed.
Ms O'Dwyer has worked for Newstalk 106 for eight months. She had previously worked for BBC Northern Ireland.
She had been socialising with colleagues from Newstalk 106 on Friday evening and was returning home from a nightclub when she was attacked.
Newstalk 106 presenter Seán Moncrieff, on whose afternoon show Ms O'Dwyer works, told The Irish Timesthat everybody at the station was shocked at the attack.
"Only for the fact she lived so close to James's [hospital] and that somebody found her, she may not have made it. I was out with them earlier on Friday and a group of them went on to a nightclub," Mr Moncrieff said.
Gardaí have appealed to anybody who was in the Lourdes Road-Ave Marie Road area at about 3am on Saturday to contact them at 01-6669400.