Gardai in Cork have opened a murder investigation after a 27-year-old man was found stabbed to death in the south of the city early today.
Emergency services were called to the scene at Friars Walk in Cork city shortly after 6.30am. The dead man, from Knocknaheeny, Cork city, was brought by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
He has been named locally as Eddie Gallagher of Ardcullen, Cork.
Detectives were yesterday trying to determine whether he was stabbed inside a two-storey terraced house in Friars Walk or whether the wounds were inflicted on the road outside.
Garda technical experts cordoned off a section of the road outside the house where they found blood and the house was also sealed off.
Locals who gathered at both ends of the cordoned off street yesterday expressed shock at the stabbing. One elderly woman who declined to be named said the area was “full of old people”.
“We never have anything like this around the place. I heard about ten minutes ago and I couldn’t believe it. There are a few houses with young people that people wouldn’t know but in the main it is old people with grown up families.”
Local election Independent candidate Mick Finn said residents were shocked.
“It is a very quiet settled area with older families. When people woke up this morning they weren’t expecting this. I can’t think of anything like this happening here before and I am 37 and have lived here all my life. A lot of the older people around here would be quite afraid having heard this. I suppose it can strike in any place.”
Gardai said the investigation was at a very early stage and they were keeping an open mind in their inquiries.
It is understood the dead man may have got into an argument with two men who left the area shortly afterwards. However, this was just one of a number of possibilities being examined by gardai.
Supt Tom Hayes, who is leading the investigation appealed to anyone who may have seen anything unusual in the Friars Walk area between 6am and 8am to contact them at Anglesea Street Garda station on (021) 4522000.
He particularly appealed to taxi drivers who may have been in the area to contact him.
Supt Hayes said gardai were still trying to determine what the young man was doing in the area at the time he was stabbed and that they were attempting to clarify matters.
The State Pathologist’s Office was informed and a post mortem examination on the dead man’s body is due to be carried out tonight at Cork University Hospital by assistant State pathologist Dr Margot Bolster.