Having completed a seven-hour plane journey, eight weeks after being left fighting for his life in a US hospital, John Brennan was asked how he felt: "Not a bother" came the reply.
The 21-year-old Kilkenny man has confounded doctors with his powers of recovery following an assault which left him on a life support machine in the intensive care unit of Yale hospital, New Haven, on September 28th.
Yesterday, he received a hero's welcome on his return to Dublin airport from the US. He was greeted by his mother, Mai; father, Tom; sister, Marian and brother-in-law Mr Michael Phelan. A large number of friends and neighbours were waiting at the family farm, four miles from Kilkenny city, when the party arrived there.
Mr Brennan, who had part of his skull removed (and later replaced) during brain surgery on September 29th, was clearly overcome by the depth of feeling shown by his family and friends towards him following his safe return.
His father, Mr Tom Brennan, a Fianna Fáil member of Kilkenny County Council, said he had been overwhelmed by the generosity of people locally and around the country, helping to defray the massive medical bills involved.
Mr John Brennan's sister, Mrs Marian Phelan, has been keeping in contact with the New Haven police department since the incident. She told The Irish Times that a bench warrant had been issued on Friday by a judge in New Haven for the arrest of the man suspected of inflicting the injuries on her brother.
"They expect to arrest him early this week," she said.