Noel Pyper was walking home after work and was just around the corner from his home when he was attacked and beaten to death. The laneway where his body was found had a back entrance to the Windmill pub. Mr Pyper lived over the pub. He shopped in O'Brien's at the top of the lane. His killer or killers tried to hide his body behind some wheelie-bins belonging to the shop.
"He was a lovely quiet man who wouldn't say boo to a fly," said Ms Collette Lynch, of Ladbrokes turf accountant's on nearby Quinlan Street. Each Wednesday and Saturday Mr Pyper played the "lucky numbers" betting game, on the numbers which would come up in the Lotto draw. He rarely bet on a horse.
"He was a very thin, very frail-looking man. We'd meet him on the corner or when he was going into his flat and we'd stop and say hello, talk about the weather, that sort of thing. He would talk to you if you talked to him.
"People that knew him are in shock. No one deserves what happened to him, but no one deserved it less than he did. Like I say, he wouldn't say boo to a fly."
Mr Pyper's flat was in Henry Street. He worked in Noel's bar on Catherine Street, just 10 or 12 minutes from his flat. His body was found in a lane off Newenham Street, about a minute's walk from the Windmill.
It is thought Mr Pyper left Noel's bar some time after 1 a.m. It is not known if he was alone. A person who lives on Newenham Street heard a "commotion" at the top of the lane at around 1.40 a.m.
"The person heard shouting and roaring coming from the lane," said Det Insp John Kerin. "There were at least two males shouting." The person did not see anything.
Some blood was found at the top of the lane. Some loose money was also found at the scene. Mr Pyper is thought to have died from head injuries, but no weapon has been found.
"He was known to the gardai as a respectable person and was very well liked by anyone who came in contact with him," said Insp Kerin. The gardai have not yet established a motive for the killing.
A man making a delivery down the lane discovered the body at around 8.40 a.m. yesterday. The lane has a back entrance to the HSI College of Business and Technology. The entrance is heavily used by the students, but yesterday it was blocked off while gardai preserved the scene for the Chief State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison.
"He was probably one of the most inoffensive guys I ever knew, and one of the most honest," said a man who had known Mr Pyper for over 10 years. "His children used to come and see him and I think he got on well with them. As long as I've known him he was as honest as the day is long, and extremely nice."
Mr Pyper was originally from Co Cork, but had been living in Limerick for a long time and had completely lost his Cork accent. He was separated from his wife and two children, who live in England. The gardai contacted Mr Pyper's family yesterday afternoon and informed them of his death, which is being treated as murder.