A man was being questioned by gardaí last night following a knife attack at a house in south Tipperary in which a 20-year-old woman was killed and her 23-year-old brother seriously injured.
The deceased woman was named locally as Joanne Mangan, a native of Newcastle village, near Clonmel. Her body was removed to Limerick Regional Hospital yesterday afternoon where a postmortem was carried out by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis.
Ms Mangan's brother Eddie, who is believed to have suffered multiple stab wounds, was in a critical condition at Cork University Hospital last night. The incident occurred early yesterday at a house in the townland of Ballynamuddagh on a quiet country road between the villages of Newcastle and Grange. The road remained closed overnight and the house sealed off following initial examinations by members of the Garda Technical Unit. They are to resume work at the scene this morning.
A kitchen knife was found in a garden behind the house during searches yesterday afternoon.
A 30-year-old man was arrested and was being questioned last night at Cahir Garda station.
It is understood Ms Mangan, her brother and another man had been living at the rented house, situated in a remote location near the Knockmealdown mountains, for the past few months.
A sister of the Mangans who had visited the house on Monday night with her boyfriend returned some time after midnight and found Joanne lying on the roadside, it is believed. She took her by car to hospital in Clonmel, about six miles away, where she was pronounced dead.
Eddie Mangan was found injured inside the house and was taken by ambulance to Clonmel hospital, before later being transferred to Cork.
His parents, Brendan and Helen Mangan, four brothers and two sisters were said to have gathered in Cork last night.
Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath, who lives about a mile from the house where the incident occurred, described the event as "an appalling tragedy", but said "the community will rally around to be of support to the bereaved family".
Mr McGrath said the Mangans were a "decent, hard-working family from a small-farming background". Speaking on the roadside close to the cordoned-off crime scene, he added that Mr and Mrs Mangan, who live outside the village of Newcastle, had celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary on Monday.
He said Joanne worked in the catering business and Eddie was employed as a blocklayer.
Speaking outside the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Newcastle, parish priest Fr Francis Lloyd said "local people are stunned". Fr Lloyd, who moved to the parish only a year ago, said he "knew them from coming to Mass". He will offer prayers for the victims and their family at Mass this morning.
Residents of the village who spoke about the incident did not wish to be named. One man who was "shocked" said he "thought this was the safest area".
A woman walking on the road in Ballymuddagh described the area as tranquil area where you could walk out and leave your door open. "This is the first time we have experience of violent crime in the area, but that's Ireland for you". Neighbours left a bouquet of fresh flowers at the Garda cordon.