Two arrested over death of Englishman (21) in Co Mayo

Joseph Deacy was found with head injuries outside a house near Swinford in August

Joseph Deacy (21) from St Albans in Hertfordshire, England died after suffering head injuries in Co Mayo in August.
Joseph Deacy (21) from St Albans in Hertfordshire, England died after suffering head injuries in Co Mayo in August.

Two men have been arrested in connection with the death of a 21-year-old Englishman in Co Mayo last August.

Joseph Deacy (21) from St Albans in Hertfordshire, England, was staying at a house in Derrynasillagh, Swinford. He was in Ireland for a two-week holiday.

Mr Deacy had returned to the house in the early hours of Saturday, August 12th following a night out in Kiltimagh.

At about 6am, a passerby noticed him in a collapsed state outside the property with visible injuries. He had sustained a trauma injury to the head but was still alive.

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He received attention from paramedics at the scene and was taken to Mayo University Hospital. However, he died the next day after being transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, which specialises in treating head injuries.

On Wednesday, gardai investigating the case arrested two men in their 20s and they are being questioned at stations in Co Mayo where they can be held for 24 hours. They also carried out searches under warrant at two locations.

Mr Deacy’s parents flew over from England and were with him when his life support system was turned off.

Gardaí had initially been treating his death as an unexplained incident but a postmortem found he had died of blunt force trauma to the head, leading to a homicide investigation.

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard is a reporter with The Irish Times