A POST mortem examination will be conducted this morning on the bodies of two men who died in a fire at a house in Wicklow town on Sunday morning.
The bodies were removed from the house at Kilmantin Hill yesterday and are to be examined at Loughlinstown Hospital by a pathologist, Dr Declan Gilsenan.
The men have not been formally identified but have been named locally as Mr Stephen Taylor (20), from Greystones, Co Wicklow, and his cousin, Mr Robin Lamb (26), from Dalkey Co Dublin.
Gardai are still investigating the cause of the fire, regarded as suspicious. But they could not say if there was a link to reports of a disturbance in the area two hours before the blaze broke out at about 5 a.m.
The men had been visiting Mr Taylor's brother Eamonn, who lived in a flat upstairs with his girlfriend and their baby daughter.
The street remained sealed off yesterday as a forensic examination continued.
In Galway, gardai investigating the death of a Tipperary man during a street brawl on Sunday morning have appealed for witnesses. A team of up to 40 officers based at Mill Street station is trying to establish what happened during a melee which resulted in the death of Mr Colm Phelan (26) from Roscrea.
He had been with a group of 14 people celebrating a stag party when they were attacked by up to eight men, believed to be from Galway, as they were about to board a private bus hired to take them home. During the attack, Mr Phelan collapsed and was brought to hospital where he died shortly afterwards.
A post mortem examination has revealed that he died from a brain haemorrhage as a result of a blow to the neck with a blunt instrument, believed to be a bottle.
Supt Tony Finnerty, leading the investigation, appealed for anyone in the vicinity of Eyre Square between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. on Saturday night/Sunday morning to contact the incident room at Mill Street.
In Tralee, Co Kerry, human remains found in a hay barn over the weekend are believed to be those of a man in his 40s. Preliminary results of a post mortem examination suggest the skeleton is probably that of a man. Dental records are being checked.
Gardai believe that the remains may have been in the barn for three years. Foul play is not suspected.