John Kennedy was a kind, caring and good-humoured man who looked after his ailing mother at their home near Ahascragh, shopkeepers and neighbours in Ballinasloe said yesterday.
Mr Willie Sinclair, of Sinclair Shoes on Main Street, next door to the amusement arcade where Mr Kennedy's body was found, said that he was a quiet, inoffensive man who did not have any enemies and was well respected.
Mr Tom Ward, from the Horses and People shop, described him as "a nice quiet fellow, a modest man who minded his own business".
He had worked for over nine years in the town and was well-known in the area, according to a local barber, Mr Peter Walsh. "If you wanted a friend, he would be a friend. I don't believe he ever said a wrong word about anybody."
Mr Walsh said that the whole town was deeply shocked at his untimely death. His warmth and friendliness would be sorely missed.
A neighbour, Mr Johnny Flynn, said that Mr Kennedy had a "lovely sing-song voice". He was an easygoing man with a down-to-earth attitude who would be badly missed.
The former Minister for Justice, Mrs Nora Owen, referring to the fact that there had been five murders and suspicious deaths in recent times, said in a statement yesterday that this was having a profound effect on public confidence and morale and would have to be tackled urgently.
She said it was gratifying to learn that crime figures for the first six months of the year were down by up to 20 per cent on last year's level. "Indeed, 1996 and the first half of 1997 saw the first drop in crime in Ireland for almost a decade. This was achieved through the dogged and thoughtful policies of the previous government, allied to the determination and commitment of the Garda Siochana, and in spite of the hysterical rantings in opposition of the current Minister for Justice."
It was absolutely imperative that the Minister tackled this spate of killings with the same energy and vigour with which he had attempted to discredit the previous government's ultimately successful policies on crime, Mrs Owen said.