GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the death of a father of two in a fight outside a pub in Cork city have succeeded in identifying a majority of the participants involved in the row.
Detectives believe that up to 25 people were involved in the fight outside the Manhattan Bar on Lower Friar’s Walk in which Gerard Delaney was fatally assaulted early last Tuesday.
Mr Delaney was one of a group of five men who went to the Manhattan Bar armed with baseball bats to confront a rival faction following a row earlier in another bar, Quirkie’s in Ballyphehane.
Gardaí have been studying CCTV footage from the area and believe Mr Delaney was struck on the forehead with a baseball bat, while he was also stabbed several times during the fight which lasted several minutes.
A postmortem on Mr Delaney by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster confirmed he died from a combination of blunt force trauma and stab wounds.
Detectives believe there were up to 20 members of the rival faction drinking in the lounge of the Manhattan when they were confronted by the other grouping which included Mr Delaney.
Gardaí have succeeded in establishing the identities of a majority of the group drinking in the bar including a teenager who later had to be treated at the Mercy University Hospital for a head injury.
They also have begun taking witness statements from a further 20 customers who were in the lounge bar when Mr Delaney and two others came into the bar and confronted the rival faction.
Detectives have spoken to the two other men from this group who entered the bar and two who remained outside and got caught up in the fight when it spilled out into the area in front of the pub.
They have established that Mr Delaney was at home babysitting with his family at Lakelands Crescent in Mahon when he received a phone call late on St Stephen’s night and left to go to Ballyphehane.
Gardaí recovered a number of baseball bats and pickaxe handles as well as a knife near the scene and Garda technical experts will examine these for forensic evidence including fingerprints and DNA.
Gardaí believe the incident at the Manhattan Bar is part of an ongoing feud between two rival factions living in Ballyphehane and Togher and are concerned Mr Delaney’s death may lead to an escalation.
Supt Charlie Barry of Togher Garda station appealed to people to allow gardaí to do their job and investigate the death. Supt Barry urged people not to take the law into their own hands.
“I would hope that anyone involved in this incident would keep the peace and let gardaí deal with it – this is not a time for people to take the matters into their own hands,” he said.
Supt Barry appealed to anyone who may have information that can assist gardaí in their investigation to contact a special incident room at Togher Garda station on 021-4947129 in confidence.
Gardaí in Cork have increased patrols in the Ballyphehane and Togher areas including patrols by the armed regional support unit which is maintaining a high -visibility presence in the area.