THE 26 year old Tipperary man who died following an assault in Galway early yesterday had travelled to the city to attend a stag party for a friend due to get married shortly. He died in hospital after being struck on the head with a bottle.
Gardai said they were confident of finding the person responsible for the man's death, which followed a confrontation between two groups of people at Eyre Square at about 2 a.m.
Mr Colm Phelan, single, of Main Street, Roscrea, was a well known hurler. His father, Michael, runs a public house in the town and is secretary of Roscrea GAA Club. He is also survived by his mother, Colette, and by a brother and sister.
Gardai discovered Mr in a collapsed state close to toilets at Eyre Square. He was removed to University College Hospital, where he died later.
Another young man who attended the party was also taken to hospital to receive stitches for a head wound, but he was not seriously injured.
A post mortem examination was carried out yesterday afternoon at the hospital.
Gardai yesterday began interviewing a large number of people who were in the area at the time. "The man who died was in a group of about 15 men and women and a row developed with another group, which also included men and women," a Garda spokesman said.
Mr Phelan travelled from Roscrea to Galway with about six other people and had planned to spend the night there. They were joined by other friends and had been drinking in the city centre prior to the incident.
The deceased man was described as a "quiet person" who had served his GAA club with distinction. The people who travelled with him to Galway were said by local gardai to be in their twenties and from the Roscrea area.
Mr Phelan was employed in construction work for Bord Gais in Dublin.
