A postmortem will be carried out today on the body of a 52-year-old man found in Athlone town centre yesterday.
The remains are believed to be that of Ray Moore, a former republican prisoner in Northern Ireland who had been sleeping rough in the area.
The body was discovered in a derelict house on Griffith Street, just off Dublingate Street, at about 4am.
It is understood that some locals spotted the body while out socialising.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy visited the scene yesterday to carry out a preliminary examination of the scene.
"The scene has been sealed off and will be preserved until after the postmortem is carried out," said a Garda spokesperson.
Mr Moore was found in a boarded-up house just yards from where a multimillion euro retail and residential development is under way in Athlone.
Gardaí don't know how long the man's body lay inside the house. The postmortem will take place today in the Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar.
Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, police now believe there was no foul play in the case of a man's body found at the weekend. The body was found at Dobson's river on the Green Road area of Bessbrook, Co Armagh.