Hi °C | Lo °C A 47-YEAR-OLD man, who is fighting for his life in hospital after a single punch, was known to gardai.
Patsy McLaughlin was assaulted in the early hours of yesterday.
The scene of the attack outside Flynn's Bar in Falcarragh, Co Donegal, has been sealed off.
Mr McLaughlin can be seen on CCTV footage chatting to an unidentified man outside the pub at 12.30am. The suspect then suddenly punched his victim, who fell and hit his head on the pavement.
Mr McLaughlin was rushed to Letterkenny General Hospital before being transferred to the Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where he remained in a critical condition last night.
The victim had a number of previous convictions.
Meanwhile, many garda stations reported a "quieter than usual" March 17, marred by relatively few public order incidents and arrests.
Among the factors believed to have contributed to the peaceful celebrations was the high visibility of gardai on the beat.
Irish Independent
