Two men due in court over assault on Laois GAA player

Two men arrested in connection with an assault which has left a Laois Gaelic footballer with serious head injuries are expected to appear in court on Thursday morning.

Daniel O’Reilly, who is in his early 20s, was badly injured in an incident in Carlow town in the early hours of Monday.

He was taken to St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny where he remains in a serious condition.

Gardaí in Carlow arrested two men, both in their 20s, on Tuesday. They were being held for questioning in Kilkenny and Thomastown Garda stations under the provisions of Section 4 - Criminal Justice Act 1984.

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On Wednesday night the garda, in a short statement, confirmed the men had been charged in connection with their investigation into a serious assault in Carlow on Monday and would appear before Carlow District Court at 10.30am on Thursday.

Laois beat Carlow in the Allianz League Division Four final in Croke Park on Sunday with Mr O'Reilly appearing as a second-half substitute.

Mr O'Reilly also plays for Graiguecullen GA Club, which said in a statement that its members were "heartbroken and devastated" about what had happened.

“Our thoughts and love are solely with Daniel and all his family right now. The matter is under investigation so please respect the authorities,” it said.

“Direct your thoughts and comments offline rather than online of love and support for Daniel, Jade and all the O’Reilly family as we all unite together as one family now in support.”