The family of a 26-year-old man who was killed in an unprovoked attack in a small town in Co Waterford two years ago said the values their son embodied were violated by his senseless murder.
Cian Gallagher died after he was attacked by Maurice Boland, 37, in the early hours of 23 November 2022.
Boland, who was on bail at the time for a separate attack, was jailed for life after being found guilty of Mr Gallagher's murder earlier this month.
Mr Gallagher had been out for food and a drink in Tallow in west Waterford, and was on his way home in the early hours of 23 November.
Boland had been shouting and threatening to beat up someone else in the bar that night, but because he was "a fit young man" Boland cowardly "zeroed in" on Mr Gallagher.
Boland saw him leave, unsteady on his feet, followed him down the street and in an unprovoked attack, punched Mr Gallagher, who fell to the ground.
Boland then boasted that he had punched his victim "like Conor McGregor" in UFC.
Mr Gallagher's family spoke in a victim impact statement about how Cian, whose passion was fishing, understood right from wrong, respected others, cared for the vulnerable and would walk away from confrontation.
The values he embodied, they said, were violated by the senseless violence which led to his murder.
"No parent should have to watch their child die," they said, "should have to bury their child, there are no words."
His family spent eight days praying by his bedside before they said they had to make the heartbreaking decision to let him go.
Boland has 23 previous convictions and was on bail for another attack when he attacked Mr Gallagher.
His counsel said in court that Boland wanted to apologise for what he had done and did not intend to cause death or serious harm.
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon sympathised with the Gallagher family on their loss and sentenced Boland to the mandatory term of life in prison.
'We believe justice has prevailed' - family
Speaking after the sentencing hearing Mr Gallagher's family said that a "senseless act of violence ended the life of a promising young man and shattered the lives of the people who knew and loved him."
Alan Gallagher, Cian's older brother, read a statement on behalf of the family.
They said that "no words can describe the effect that the nightmare of the last two years has had on our family. We can put on a brave face when required but it just masks our pain.
"As we said in our victim impact statement the true impact of what we have been through, what we are going through, and what we have yet to go through cannot be described in one statement. The ongoing loss, the ongoing heartbreak, and the ongoing trauma cannot be captured easily. Each of us has been impacted differently.
"No parent should have to receive a phone call in the dead of night informing them that their youngest son was in intensive care following an alleged assault. No parent should have to watch their child die. No parent should ever have to bury their child.
"We live with the anxiety, and often the fear, of what happened to Cian could happen again. A fear something could happen to another member of our family. A fear of facing it all again. The stark and harrowing reality of what happened to Cian could happen to any person, any family, in any village, town or city in Ireland. A senseless act of violence ended the life of a promising young man and shattered the lives of the people who knew and loved him.
"This week as the 34th Dáil meets for the first time and political parties and independents continue to meet to negotiate a programme for government, we encourage all involved to ensure that commitments made in election manifestos to place the victim at the centre of the process in the criminal justice system, to continue and enhance supports for victims, to take tougher stance on those involved in assaults/violent crime and to provide additional resources for those involved in the criminal justice system are all included in the programme for Government.
"Cian was an organ donor, and we receive some comfort from the fact that Cian saved three lives. We strongly encourage everyone to carry an organ donor card and to talk to your family and loved ones, so they know your wishes.
"Throughout this horrific ordeal, we've been profoundly touched by the goodness in people, the ambulance personnel, hospital staff, legal counsel, the gardaí, staff and volunteers of the Victim Support at Court service, extended family, neighbours and friends.
"We believe justice has prevailed and we sincerely thank all those involved."
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