Senator Jimmy Harte found with serious head injuries

Senator Jimmy Harte is seriously ill in hospital after being discovered on a street in Dublin with head injuries in the early hours of the morning.

The Labour Party politician from Co Donegal was found at Newmarket Square in Dublin's south inner city at about 3am yesterday.

He was taken to Beaumont Hospital where his condition has been described as serious.

It is understood Mr Harte (55), had been attending the Republic of Ireland v Latvia football international friendly at the Aviva stadium in Ballsbridge on Friday evening.

A Labour Party spokesman said his family were with him at the hospital and everyone who knows him remains very concerned. “He’s being treated for serious head injuries,” he said. “The circumstances, as to whether he fell or something else happened, are not very clear at the moment.“

Gardaí confirmed they were investigating the circumstances surrounding a man in his 50s who sustained serious injuries to his head and who was found on Newmarket Square this morning.

It is understood detectives at Kevin Street Garda station are looking for CCTV footage in the area in an attempt to find out what happened to Mr Harte, who is from Letterkenny.

A keen sportsman, he as run 12 marathons in recent years and has raised over €30,000 for a number of charities, including MS Ireland, Autism Donegal, Aware, Grow, Spina Bifida Ireland and Children in Crossfire. He is a former Chairman of Finn Harps FC and also played inter-county soccer and GAA.

He joined the Labour Party in 2010 and contested the 2011 general election in the Donegal North East constituency, failing to win a seat. He was elected to the Seanad on the Industrial and Commercial Panel in April 2011.