A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in prison for the manslaughter of his sister's partner in Co Mayo in 2009.
Fintan McKenna, of Woodlands, Balla, Castlebar, had denied the murder of Francis Heneghan in Kiltimagh, Co Mayo, on 12 August, 2009 but was convicted of manslaughter at his trial last year.
Mr Heneghan, a construction worker and father-of-three, bled to death in a laneway in Kiltimagh after being stabbed 11 times. One of the wounds penetrated his heart.
The trial heard that McKenna, originally from Artane in Dublin, did not get on with Mr Heneghan.
At the time of the killing, there was animosity between the pair over the victim's treatment of Mr McKenna's sister.
McKenna had earlier been challenged to a fight by Mr Heneghan but had refused. He later armed himself with a knife because he was afraid.
The trial heard that on the night of the killing Mr Heneghan had 'run or lunged' into a laneway where McKenna was and began fighting. Mr Heneghan was later found bleeding to death.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Heneghan's sister said the family still suffered from pain, shock and disbelief at his death.
Yvonne Barrett said the family's view of this country as a safe and fair place had changed after her brother's most basic right, the right to life, had been cruelly and unjustly taken from him.
Ms Barrett described Mr Heneghan as a dedicated father of three children who did not deserve to die.
She said the family was 'paralysed by grief and pain since his meaningless death' and had nightmares about the 'horror he suffered during his last moments in a dark back street in Kiltimagh'.
Defence counsel said McKenna had been told on the night that Mr Heneghan may have been armed with a baseball bat and he was afraid.
He had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter, but this was rejected by the prosecution.
Senior Counsel Martin Giblin said McKenna had moved with his family from Dublin because his parents thought he would avoid getting into trouble if he left Dublin.
The court heard he was champion pool player who had represented Mayo and Ireland at international level and was good enough to become professional.
After the killing, McKenna had attended a residential course for addiction to alcohol.
An apology to the Heneghan family was read to the court in which he said there was not a day that went by when he did not think of what had happened. He said he did not mean it to happen and was sorry.
Mr Justice John Edwards said the killing arose out of a lethal cocktail of drink, drugs and the carrying of a knife.
He said the fact that McKenna had armed himself with a knife having previously been told to leave the area by gardaí was an aggravating factor.
However, he took into account his offer to plead guilty to manslaughter at an early stage and his apology to the victim's family, which he believed was genuine.
