Two men have appeared in court charged with the murder of Brian McKee in Cork last year.
John Brett, 25, with an address on Leitrim Street in Cork, and Jason Quinlan, 29, of Loughmahon Drive in Mahon, have both pleaded not guilty to the murder of the 24-year-old plasterer at Ballinure, Mahon, on 25 August 2007.
Opening the case for the prosecution, Mary Ellen Ring SC told the jury of 10 men and two women that Brian McKee had been stabbed 11 times and that one wound was over five inches deep.
She said it would be the State's case that Jason Quinlan was seen ‘stabbing down’ on Mr McKee and that both Jason Quinlan and John Brett were seen attacking him.
The Central Criminal Court, which is sitting in Cork, was told that in the six months before his death, Mr McKee had ended a long relationship with Ciara Delaney.
The court was told that just after midnight on Saturday 25 August 2007, Mr McKee rang his former partner Ms Delaney and they had a fight about the minding of their daughter.
She was with a group of others at a beach party in Myrtleville.
After the call, Mr McKee and a friend Pat Bradley left his home at Ballinure Avenue and went to a friend's house at St Michael's Lawn.
Ms Ring said the court would hear evidence that Ms Delaney called to the house at 4.25am and the fight that had earlier began on the phone resumed.
It got so heated that the two were ordered to leave the house and they continued fighting on the green outside.
Eventually another group of people came along, including Jason Quinlan, his girlfriend Rebecca Delaney and John Brett.
The prosecution stated that witnesses will say that Rebecca Delaney and Mr Quinlan became involved in the row and that Mr Quinlan took a bottle from Ciara Delaney's hand and smashed it, before moving towards Brian McKee.
Mr McKee was seen running back to his friend's house where he appears to have armed himself with a knife.
Ms Ring said witnesses will tell the court that both defendants were seen leaving the green and when they returned together, Mr Quinlan was seen coming with a knife and broken bottle and Mr Brett was seen snatching up a bottle.
The State alleges the two men were seen running at Brian McKee, that Mr Quinlan was seen 'stabbing down' on the deceased and both were seen attacking him.
Brian McKee managed to run away to a nearby shop but fell to the ground on the footpath where he was found by gardaí at 4.45am.
He was removed to Cork University Hospital but died there later that day at 2.24pm.
The trial is due to last two weeks.
