A 43-year-old man is in a critical condition in hospital following an assault in Limerick in the early hours of this morning.
The victim is said to have suffered serious head injuries after being set upon on Mungret Street shortly after midnight.
It is understood he was an innocent bystander who became caught up in a row involving eight people on the street and may have been sparked by an incident at a city centre pub yesterday evening.
It is believed he was hit over the head with a blunt instrument. Gardaí today recovered an iron bar close to the scene which may have been used in the assault.
Gardaí said the man was taken to the Mid Western Regional Hospital but was later transferred to Cork University Hospital where his condition is described as critical.