Gardaí in County Westmeath have begun a murder investigation following the discovery of the bodies of two boys and their mother at their home in Castledaly near Athlone.
The victims have been named locally as 30-year-old Debbie Fox and her two sons Cillian (7) and Trevor (9). Thirty-two-year-old Greg Fox is said to be in a satisfactory condition at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe.
Popular family
Greg and Debbie Fox were out with their neighbours in a local bar in Castledaly on Friday night. Friends say they came to the area just over a year ago and were extremely popular in their shop and filling station business. Their two sons were attending school nearby.
Gardaí say the two boys and their mother were viciously attacked before they died. It is not yet clear what the murder weapon was, but a knife and a hurley were discovered in the kitchen of their home.
Post mortems expected
Gardaí are waiting now for the results of post mortem examinations. The Garda who is leading the investigation says that no arrests are imminent and he is not seeking any one outside of the house in connection with the crime.
