Gardaí believe they know the identity of a man found stabbed to death in a field in Thurles, Co Tipperary, on Sunday evening. The remains were discovered by two brothers out walking their dogs.
Detectives have expressed satisfaction with the level of information received from members of public, following a series of Garda appeals. Informed Garda sources have told The Irish Times the man was a foreign national who had been living and working in the Thurles area for some time.
The same sources said the investigating team was anxious to speak to two people who had been camping in the field where the victim's body was found so that they could be eliminated from their inquiries.
The campers, a man and a woman, at least one of whom is believed to be Welsh, were in the area until about the time of the victim's murder at the weekend.
Gardaí are hopeful the couple may have seen something unusual before they left the area that might help detectives solve the case.
Supt Tony Cogan, who is leading the murder investigation, said gardaí were anxious to confirm the victim's identity and establish a motive for his murder.
He appealed for anyone who attended the hurling matches at Semple Stadium or other events in Thurles last weekend to contact gardaí if they "saw anything suspicious they believe might be relevant to the murder investigation".
An estimated 21,500 people were in the vicinity of the Railway Field where the body was found. Many had travelled from counties Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork and Waterford to watch their teams in the National Hurling League semi-finals. The field is off the Nenagh Road en route to Semple Stadium. It adjoins the Cork-Dublin railway line and Gortataggart estate.