A MURDER inquiry has begun after a 28-year-old woman injured in a stabbing attack in Ranelagh, Dublin, yesterday evening died later in hospital.
The woman was assaulted in an apartment in 94 Ranelagh Road, a converted Georgian house close to Charlemont Bridge on the Grand Canal.
It is understood the woman did not live in the apartment.
Garda sources last night indicated that she was stabbed three times in the back at around 7pm and the murder weapon may have been recovered.
A 43-year-old man, who is believed to be a British national, was arrested and detained at Donnybrook Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He can be held for up to 24 hours.
The woman was taken to St Vincent's Hospital, in what was described as a serious and then a critical condition. She died soon afterwards.
The Garda Technical Bureau attended the scene last night and carried out a forensic examination.
The entrance to the building was sealed off with crime scene tape, which was tied across the railings outside and along the hedge running up the garden.
A garda on duty outside the building was refusing entry to people who tried to call to the house.
The State Pathologist was informed about the incident yesterday and a postmortem is expected to be carried out today.
The three-storey building was described by a spokesman for Dublin City Council as private accommodation that the council has taken some space in as part of a resettlement programme.
The spokesman said it contained six or seven one-person apartments that he understood were for men only, and which are used as part of a supported housing programme.
A woman arriving at the house next door last night burst into tears when she heard what had happened, saying: "I was only talking to her early this morning."
People living nearby were shocked by the incident.
Hannah Fivey said: "One of the reasons we chose Ranelagh was because everybody would love to live in Ranelagh. It's lovely, it's quiet. You don't expect this here. It's shocking, I can't get over it. It makes me wonder am I safe at home. Is anybody? It's horrific."
Another person living locally, TJ Murphy, said: "Normally it's a lovely area. We chose it because it's quiet. "Everybody's shocked."