The State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, is expected to carry out a postmortem on a man who died in hospital in Dundalk yesterday, 10 days after he was attacked in the town. The man was named yesterday as Mr Anthony "Tony" McDermott, who was originally from Co Donegal.
Mr McDermott is believed to have been in his 50s and of no fixed abode. He was found lying on the ground by a Garda patrol near the Ramparts area in the early hours of Friday, June 20th. Last week, gardai appealed for witnesses to the attack.
Mr McDermott was taken to Louth County Hospital and has been in intensive care since the incident. He suffered severe head injuries. He had been living rough in Dundalk in recent months.
Two men were arrested and detained in Dundalk last week in connection with an investigation into the attack. Both were in their 5Os and were released without charge. Gardai are preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A Garda spokesman in Dundalk said "the man was seriously assaulted and was admitted to hospital as a result and we are investigating the circumstances of the assault".
He said Mr McDermott would have been a familiar face around the town and "most people would have known him".