Gardaí have arrested a man in his mid-40s in Cork city in relation to the death of Catherine Smart (57).
The body of the mother of three was found by gardaí when they were called to her home at Bailick Court, a quarter of a mile from the centre of town, at about 9.45am yesterday.
The man is being detained in Midleton Garda Station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
Gardaí began a murder inquiry into the death in Midleton, east Cork, after a postmortem revealed Ms Smart had died as a result of a blow to the head.
Gardaí were alerted when they received a phone call. On arriving at the house, they found the partially clothed body of Ms Smart lying on the floor of the diningroom-cum kitchen in the single-storey terraced house.
Gardaí immediately cordoned off the house and preserved the scene.
Ms Smart, who was separated, was a native of Ballyhooley in north Cork but had moved to the east Cork town of Midleton more than 30 years ago.