Gardaí were continuing to question three young men on Monday evening in connection with the death of a 44-year-old father of four in Co Cork.
The investigation was upgraded to a full murder inquiry after the results of a postmortem on the body of Barry Daly, who worked as a postman in Mallow.
Detectives arrested a 20-year-old and a 17-year-old at a house in Doneraile around 8am on Monday morning. A 16-year-old youth was later arrested at another address in North Cork at 6pm on Monday evening. All three were questioned about the death of Mr Daly, from Rockview Terrace in Doneraile.
All three suspects were detained at Garda stations in North Cork under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, which allows gardaí detain suspects for up to 24 hours before they must be charged or released.
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Gardaí upgraded their investigation from one into an assault to a full murder inquiry following the receipt of the results on a postmortem examination on Mr Daly by assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on Monday afternoon.
Gardaí were not releasing the results of Dr Bolster’s postmortem for operational reasons, but it is understood Mr Daly died a violent death consistent with being attacked and struck repeatedly around the head with an implement.
Gardai believe Mr Daly was attacked by men armed with a golf club after they followed him and his teenage son some 750 metres from the centre of Doneraile to their home at Rockview Terrace, on the outskirts of the village on the road to Mallow, between 1am and 2am on Sunday morning.
It is understood that Mr Daly and his son had been socialising in Eily’s bar in the centre of the village, after Doneraile had beaten Ballyclough in the North Cork Junior B hurling final on Saturday afternoon.
Gardaí believe there was a row outside the bar as the Dalys were leaving around 1am on Sunday. It is understood the fatal assault took place outside the Dalys’ home, and the assailants fled on foot.
The emergency services were alerted following the assault on Mr Daly and a team of paramedics were quickly on the scene. They were unable to resuscitate Mr Daly and he was pronounced dead at around 2am.
Gardai immediately cordoned off the area and Mr Daly’s body remained at the scene overnight. Dr Bolster carried out a preliminary examination on the deceased man before he was removed to CUH for the postmortem.
Senior officers declared the area outside Mr Daly’s house and a second area, a corner of Doneraile Demesne near the top of the village, crime scenes. Officers from the Garda Technical Bureau recovered a golf club from that part of the demesne.
Gardaí have begun examining CCTV footage and have carried out door to door inquiries.
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to contact them and they are seeking any available camera footage, including dashcam recordings, from anyone in the Doneraile area between 12 midnight and 2am. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Mallow Garda Station on 022 31450.
“The CEO and all An Post staff, particularly the team at Mallow Delivery Unit, are deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death of our colleague, Barry Daly,” An Post said in a statement. “We offer our deepest sympathy to Barry’s family.”
