Gardaí have opened a murder investigation after a man was fatally injured and another required hospital treatment following a suspected stabbing incident in central Dublin.
An Garda Síochána said it was called to the South Anne Street/Duke Lane Upper area of Dublin 2 shortly after 3am on Saturday.
A man (30s) was found with serious injuries and unresponsive, the force said in a statement. He is understood to have been stabbed.
“He was treated at the scene by emergency services personnel and transferred to hospital where he was pronounced deceased a short time later,” it added.
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“A second male, also in his 30s, was injured in the vicinity and has been treated for non-life threatening injuries.”
Gardaí at Pearse Street are investigating the incident. The scene was being examined on Saturday by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.
Passersby and employees of nearby businesses gathered close to the cordoned-off scene on South Anne Street on Saturday.
Several blood stains on the pavement, beginning on South Anne Street and ending on Dawson Street, have been marked by investigating gardaí. Sections of footpaths on the upper end of Dawson Street remain cordoned off.
Ash Thulseepersad, senior manager at The Gotham Café, which is within the cordoned-off area, said he was “shocked” to hear about the incident.
He said he was informed he could not enter his place of work this morning and had been “left in the dark” as to when it could reopen.
Mr Thulseepersad said nightlife can be “full on” and makes South Anne Street “super busy”, but he “would have thought it was a safe enough area”.
“But then again, with all the drugs and booze going around last night, something was probably bound to happen,” he said.
Mr Thulseepersad said he had looked at CCTV footage from overnight and there were about 150 people in the area at about 3am having left a nearby nightclub.
Patrick O’Neill, owner of Massimo, a suit shop at the corner of South Anne Street and Dawson Street, said he believes more gardaí should be patrolling the area at night as there can be “lawlessness out there”.
Eileen Morgan Browne (80), originally from Ballybough, said incidents such as this have become “commonplace”.
Having lived in Dublin for some 50 years before moving to Kells, Co Meath, Ms Morgan Browne said she no longer feels safe in Dublin city centre.
“It’s like the scene of a movie, it’s very sad really, I think law and order is breaking down,” she said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a place cordoned off. It just brings it home more.”
Speaking to reporters in Germany, Tánaiste Simon Harris described the incident as “alarming, shocking and deeply concerning”.
“It would have caused concern for many, many people right across our capital city and beyond,” he said.
Sinn Féin justice spokesman Matt Carthy described the incident as “deeply concerning”.
He said “there is a serious problem” in relation to public safety in Dublin city centre and many were shocked that such a thing could happen in one of the busiest and most popular areas of nightlife in the capital.
He called on Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan to urgently bring forward a plan to make Dublin safer for people living, working, doing business and visiting the city.
Mr Harris said Mr O’Callaghan is “working tirelessly with Government colleagues” to increase the number of gardaí on the streets in Dublin and across the country.
Gardaí are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Pearse Street Garda station on (01) 666 9000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station. Investigating officers are also keen to speak to anyone who has relevant mobile phone or dashcam footage from the area.
