Gardaí conducting a murder investigation into the death of a 53-year-old homeless father of one in Cork last October have arrested a woman for questioning.
Detectives backed up by the armed Regional Support Unit arrested the woman (37) at an area on the Mardyke near Cork city centre at about 7.30am on Wednesday morning.
Timothy Hourihane died at Cork University Hospital in the early hours of October 13th, having been rushed there by ambulance after being found with serious head and body injuries on a green area in the Mardyke.
He had been found by a wall at the green area opposite the main gates to University College Cork by firefighters when they were called to deal with a fire at his tent, which was among a number pitched in the area.
The arrested woman is being held at Bridewell Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, meaning she can be detained for up to 24 hours.
The arrest is the third by gardaí investigating the killing of Mr Hourihane and follows the arrest on December 16th of two men.
Detectives first arrested a 26-year-old man from Mayfield and brought him to the Bridewell Garda station for questioning. They later arrested a 37-year-old man in the Midlands.
Both men were subsequently released without charge and a Garda spokesman confirmed that gardaí would include memos of interview with both men in a file on the killing which they will send to the Director of Publin Prosecutions.
Mr Hourihane, a former chef, was a familiar figure among the homeless on the streets of Cork, availing of services from a number of charities including Cork Simon, the St Vincent De Paul and Cork Penny Dinners.
