The firm which operates one of the country’s best known five-star hotels, Dromoland Castle last year recorded “an underlying profit” of €3.4m.

The appointment of a receiver to sell Tony O’Reilly’s stake of 6.8% in the five-star Dromoland Castle will have no impact on the operations on the hotel, its chief financial officer Joe Hughes has pledged.

One of three men accused of murdering an elderly man received a text message saying the deceased was a rapist hours before he was allegedly beaten to death, a jury has heard.