A journalist renowned for his coverage of the Troubles in Northern Ireland has been murdered in Dublin.
Police in the city have arrested two men after the body of Eugene Moloney was found on Camden Street early on Sunday.
The 55-year-old was punched in the side of the head and fell to the ground as the two men in their 20s attacked him.
The incident was caught on CCTV and police made quick arrests just hours after the murder.
Officers believe Moloney may have been robbed, as he lay unconscious on the ground and his wallet and identification were missing.
Formerly with the Irish News in Belfast and the Irish Independent in Dublin, Moloney had been freelancing on his return from a spell teaching in Vietnam.
His most recent article, on the Ulster Bank IT crisis, had appeared in the Irish edition of the Daily Mail on Saturday, just hours before his death.
He reported extensively from Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles and covered many terrorist atrocities.
Moloney, who lived alone at Portobello Place on the south side of Dublin, was on his way home when he was attacked.
A murder investigation was launched after a post mortem examination confirmed that he had died from serious head injuries as a result of the assault.
Group Managing Editor of Independent Papers Ireland Ltd Michael Denieffe paid tribute to the dead journalist.
He told the Irish Independent: “On behalf of Independent Newspapers, I want to express our shock at the untimely death of our former colleague, Eugene Moloney. He was a resourceful and fearless journalist.
“It is a tragic irony that Eugene has died in an incident similar to many he would have recorded in his years working for the 'Evening Herald' and the Irish Independent. Our sympathies go to his family and friends.”
Irish News editor Noel Doran told the paper he was deeply shocked by the death of his good friend Eugene Moloney.
“Eugene and I studied journalism together at the former College of Business Studies in Belfast in the late 1970s, and went on to share flats over a number of years,” said Doran.
“Eugene was a talented and respected reporter with 'The Irish News' during the height of the troubles and was also the paper's music columnist for a lengthy period.
“He interviewed a wide range of visiting artists in Belfast, and had a fund of anecdotes about his experiences.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.WoundedKnee | Jun 27, 2012, 03:20 AM EDT
Like so many Irish, Ciarabythebay loves to ape the United States. In this case she figures since the US has lots of murders Ireland is entitled to have lots of murders too. Murder is so modern!
Bythebay | Jun 26, 2012, 05:25 PM EDT
NYCSheridan, those of you in the US have many involved in murders every day which is why police forces outside the US watch your tourists like hawks out of necessity Why your own Bronx had 3 murders in less than 30 hours this month. Murders and shootings surged in the Bronx last year with 20 more people dead and 50 more wounded by just gunfire than in 2010. I don't have to claim anything, you do it all by yourselves!!
WoundedKnee | Jun 26, 2012, 05:15 PM EDT
A lot of the crime in Ireland is perpetrated by foreign migrants. One inmate in three in Irish prisons is a foreign migrant. That means Ireland could lower its crime rate by 30% if it didn't have these people arriving as settlers.
Bythebay | Jun 26, 2012, 04:57 PM EDT
aloistmartin, as someone with no Irish connections at all you obviously don't know anything about Ireland. In your own Los Angeles there have been 57 murders thus far this year. Philadelphia had a total of 326 murders last year....there were over 9,000 murders in the US by just guns.
Bythebay | Jun 26, 2012, 04:45 PM EDT
WoundedKnee/GeorgeDillon, Americans have created an unrealistic fantasy world about Ireland akin to Disney World or Disneyland, where everyone waits with baited breath for their US visitors. Get real! Chicago US murder rate is worse than Kabul, Afghanistan - 228 Chicago residents killed this year, just a small fraction of all the murders across the US. Tourists to the US are well warned about the carnage there.
ciaradexy | Jun 26, 2012, 06:43 AM EDT
Rest in peace Eugene.
IrelandNorth | Jun 26, 2012, 06:09 AM EDT
There is no recorded history of sectarian violence before King Henry II of England was sanctioned by a Papal Bull to cross the Irish Sea to 'Christianise' Ireland in 1169-'71. Followed by the Earl of Pembroke/Strongbow to assist King Dermot McMurrough of Leinster/(Eastern Ireland) and the Foreigners in his bid for the High Kingship of Ireland at Tara. The point is that this is a tragic loss of life by a creditable journalist of a Northern Nationalist quality tabloid (The Irish News). What a tragic irony for someone who survived armed conflict. I trust the neo-liberal Irish Criminal Justice System will match the proficiency of An Garda Siocchana in dealing with such miscreants. And condolences to his kith and kin. Ar dheis Dei go raibh a h'anam/May his sould rest on the righ hand side of God!
seanomelb | Jun 25, 2012, 06:12 PM EDT
Both WoundedKnee and KittyMurphy should take a deep breath.aloismartin what a ridiculous opening sentence what is it based on?ignorance!
Curitiba | Jun 25, 2012, 05:48 PM EDT
WoundedKnee: Driving on the wrong side of the road is the biggest cause of death amongst British tourists in France.
aloistmartin | Jun 25, 2012, 05:39 PM EDT
Sectarian Violence has been a part of the Irish Psyche since Cain and Abel. Such a thing only becomes a matter of Shame, when it intrudes upon the Bourgeois Tea and Bisquits !
WoundedKnee | Jun 25, 2012, 05:11 PM EDT
What's with the stupid logic we see from Irish posters such as ciaradexy and now the poster signed kittymurphy? It never happened to me, therefore it never happens. That's the extent of this self-absorbed "logic". Listen, kittymuphy, you were never killed in a car accident. That means there never are any fatal car accidents in Ireland, right? What a goof. Speaking of car wrecks, and having disposed of yet another Irish bull, I would warn American visitors who rent cars over there to be really vigilant about driving on the left-hand side of the road. Every summer there are several accidents involving tourists who drive on the wrong side. The most dangerous time in my experience in not your first or second day, when you are very alert to the danger. It's after four or five days, when you have relaxed. Don't. Also, be really careful leaving gas stations. It's been shown that it's common for American and European drivers to drive out of the gas station and head off on the wrong side of the road. Ouch.
PhlutiePhan | Jun 25, 2012, 03:32 PM EDT
@timbobdennehy: That was the first thing that came to my mind as well.
KittyMurphy | Jun 25, 2012, 01:13 PM EDT
@WoundedKnee More people have been murdered in LA in the last decade than there were killed during "The Troubles". I'd back off on the the violent death warnings there. As someone who grew up in Ireland I never encountered any violence. Even recently. This is a tragic case but of course in every major city you must be cautious.
WoundedKnee | Jun 25, 2012, 01:07 PM EDT
This is so sad. American visitors to Ireland need to be very careful. Not just Dublin, but many cities and towns are full of thugs, drunk or drugged. If you're staying in North side hotels like the Gresham be especially careful, even in the daytime. But generally be careful wherever you are. Apart from the native thugs, there are lots of East European criminal gangs. Don't give any money to Roma beggars, that gives them carte blanche to steal whatever you didn't give them. Anyway, why have they gone to Ireland to beg and steal? Be careful at bus stops, because that's where you're immobile and vulnerable. I could go on with safety tips, but that's not my job, the useless Irish tourist people should be doing it instead of creating an Oirish fantasy world that makes visitors think they're Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
NYCsheridan | Jun 25, 2012, 11:40 AM EDT
I'm sirprised Bythebay isn't here claiming Americans were involved.
timbobdennehy | Jun 25, 2012, 09:50 AM EDT
maybe it was a hit.