Gardai in west Dublin have issued a new appeal for witnesses to the fatal stabbing of a 60-year-old man last Thursday week.
Gardaí in Tallaght are exploring the possibility that the man stabbed to death late on the night of on January 18th may have been a victim of mistaken identity.
Detectives investigating the murder, say they are keeping an open mind but can find nothing in the victim's background to suggest why he was killed.
The victim, painter and decorator Michael Gallagher, was watching television in the home of his partner Sally Rogers, at Tymonville Road, when two men called to the front door just after 10pm.
When Ms Rogers answered the call she was pushed aside by the men, one of whom was brandishing a hammer while the other carried a knife.
Mr Gallagher was chased into the kitchen where he was stabbed repeatedly. Despite being rushed by ambulance to nearby Tallaght Hospital he died from his injuries at about 11pm.
Ms Rogers was assaulted by the man with the hammer. Her injuries were described as minor but she was said to be in a distressed state.
Mr Gallagher and Ms Rogers each had five children from previous relationships, but there was nobody else in the house at the time of the murder.
The two attackers fled the immediate scene on foot towards Tymon North Road. It was unclear what mode of transport, if any, they then used to leave the area.
Gardaí are particularly interested in talking to the two men.
Anyone who was in the area that evening, between 9.45pm to 10.15pm, walking or driving are asked to come forward if they feel they may have seen any unusual or suspicious activity.