A teenager and a man in his 20s were arrested by gardai after the fatal stabbing of a grandfather early yesterday morning.
Gardai spent yesterday afternoon searching for the weapon that was used to stab Mr Patrick Clinton (59) at his home at Ballybailie, Ardee, Co Louth.
His brother Jim said: "He will be remembered as a good, hardworking man who liked his drink and to back the horses. He will be sadly missed."
Mr Clinton's mother Bridget, who is in her 80s, tried to comfort her son as he lay bleeding in her hallway after the attack.
Gardai were investigating the possibility that more than one person attacked and stabbed him in the mobile home where he lived beside his parents' house.
The assault took place around 3.30 a.m. yesterday. Mr Clinton made his way to his parents' house where he phoned for an ambulance and gardai.
He died in the ambulance on the way to the Louth County Hospital, in Dundalk.
The man and the teenager, aged 28 and 17, were arrested yesterday afternoon under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
They are believed to be from the Ardee area and were brought for questioning to Navan Garda station.
The arrests came as gardai tried to piece together the last hours of Mr Clinton's life.
"There was no one with a grudge against him. He will be sadly missed," his brother said.
Mr Clinton had six children and five grandchildren. He was born in Co Meath and lived for 20 years in England before moving to Ardee where his parents and siblings had set up home.
The Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, carried out a post-mortem yesterday afternoon.
Mr Clinton's is the second violent death in Ardee this year. In February a Donegal man, Mr Patrick Gallagher, was murdered in a house on Dublin Street.
A man has been charged with his killing.