Sexual activity, possibly involving more than one man, had been taking place at or around the time of the death of a man in his cottage in the Connemara Gaeltacht on Thursday, it is understood.
Garda investigations into the death of Mr Tom Clisham (53) have indicated there may have been two or three other men in his house at the time he died. Three men were arrested yesterday afternoon and were being questioned at Salthill and Mill Street Garda stations about the death.
They were held overnight and gardai are expected to seek an extension of their period of detention at Galway District Court this morning. The three were arrested at 4.30 p.m. and detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1994.
Supt Jim Sugrue, who is heading the investigation, said details of Thursday's post-mortem examination into the death of the small farmer were not being released for operational purposes. Mr Clisham, a bachelor, was found naked with his hands tied behind his back last Thursday. It is thought he was beaten and may have been stabbed.
At first it appeared he had been the subject of a sexual assault and beating by an intruder. Gardai, however, are understood to have found evidence that a party involving sexual activity between a number of men had taken place in the cottage.
It is now thought possible that a dispute broke out, leading to the attack on Mr Clisham. The exact time of his death is not known. He had last been seen outside the house by neighbours on Monday, November 24th.
Local people alerted gardai after he failed to collect his dole and was not seen for over a week. Gardai went to the cottage at Inverin and found evidence of very considerable violence inside.
Mr Clisham relied on the dole and headage from his two cows and two calves for income, according to local people. He is said to have occasionally left the area on trips but he had lived in Connemara all his life.