Tributes have been paid after a 29-year-old Limerick man died following an assault in Co Kildare at the weekend.
Dylan McCarthy, from Kilmallock in Co Limerick, was found unresponsive in Monasterevin shortly after 12.30am on Sunday.
He was taken to Tallaght University Hospital where he was pronounced dead yesterday afternoon.
It is understood Mr McCarthy was in the Kildare town to mark a family occasion.
A priest in Kilmallock said there are no words to describe what has happened.
Fr Chris O'Donnell, who knows Mr McCarthy's parents, said: "It's just sadly unimaginable really."
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Fr O'Donnell described the McCarthy family as "such a good, quiet, unassuming family" who are held in great esteem in the town.
"It's like there's been a cloud or a blanket of sadness resting on the town of Kilmallock" and people are devastated, he said.
"Just a lot of sorrow and sadness, disbelief and anger really."
He said what happened is "every parent's nightmare and nearly every parent in the area now are thinking of their own children and hopefully holding them a little closer because in many ways it feels like Dylan. It's everyone's son and brother at the moment".
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we at Kilmallock Gaa pass on our heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of Dylan McCarthy.
— Kilmallock GAA (@KilmallockGAA) August 22, 2022
Dylan played underage hurling and football at underage level and also played u21 and Junior hurling . He was a huge addition to any team and a pic.twitter.com/dpynra1Uq4
Mr McCarthy was a long-time member of the GAA club in Kilmallock, where he played at many age grades over the years, as well as at senior level, club chairman Steven Connery recalled today.
"He'd come and go, unfortunately I suppose through college and work he was coming and going from the club but always came back to Kilmallock GAA when he was in the area, always came back to the club and you could rely on him," Mr Connery said.
Mr Connery described Mr McCarthy as "a gentle giant" who had a lovely smile and got on well with everyone.
"Everyone had a good word to say about Dylan. Even last night, the seniors were training and held a minute's silence between them. They're just all in shock with everything. He was such a lovely lad."
Sinn Féin councillor and friend of the McCarthy family PJ Carey said Mr McCarthy was a "fine young man" and "universally liked".
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Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, Mr Carey said Kilmallock is a quiet town and something like this is very alien to the people there.
"Everybody spoke highly [of him]. There's a terrible sadness over the parish and terrible shock as well," he said.
He said Mr McCarthy made the choice to be an organ donor which "is kind of typical of the man and speaks volumes of the man".
Gardaí in Kildare are appealing to any witnesses to the assault to contact them.
