A 20-year-old Catholic man is critically ill in hospital following what police are treating as a sectarian attack outside a Co Antrim nightclub.
The man, from the Strathmore Park area of north Belfast, suffered serious head injuries when he was set upon in the car park of Kelly's nightclub in Portrush.
A PSNI spokesman said the trouble started when the victim and his friends became involved in a dispute with a number of other men over a woman inside the club.
"During this verbal dispute it became apparent through the mention of a Christian name that at least one of the group to which the victim belonged was a Catholic," he said.
The two groups were ejected from the nightclub, but a second fight erupted in the car park.
The spokesman said that although the car park was busy at the time of the incident at the weekend, few witnesses had come forward.
The injured man, who attends university in Scotland, had been celebrating his brother's birthday with friends at the time of the attack.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Gault asked for public assistance.
"This was a brutal attack, the family are devastated and want justice for their son."
PA