Gardaí are appealing for information after a man was found dead in the early hours of yesterday morning in Co Laois.
The man has been named locally as Frank Grace (52), Ballyroan, Co Laois. The single part-time farmer had been socialising in Portlaoise on Saturday night.
He was discovered at Market Square in the town at about 3.20am and taken by ambulance to the Midland Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Gardaí cordoned off the area where Mr Grace was discovered and conducted a technical and forensic examination. The State Pathologist was notified and a postmortem was due to be carried out yesterday.
Local councillor Mary Sweeney (FG) described Mr Grace as “a nice guy and a good neighbour”. She said he was not married but had three sisters and an uncle living in Laois.
Investigating gardaí are studying closed-circuit television footage from the area. They issued an appeal for witnesses and are particularly keen to speak to anybody who was in the vicinity of Market Square between 3am and 3.30am yesterday.
Anybody with information is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda station at 057-8674100, or the Garda confidential line at 1800-666111.