Two men held over death of journalist

Two men arrested as part of the murder investigation into the death of journalist Eugene Moloney remained in custody overnight.

Mr Moloney died in the early hours of Sunday morning after being struck on the back of the head while walking home to Portabello along Camden Street in Dublin.

The 55-year-old exchanged words with a younger man who had shouted abuse at him in the moments before his death.

It is understood Mr Moloney was walking away when a second man hit him from behind.

Yesterday his cousin Oisin Leech described him as a man who loved travelling and music. This had led him to follow and interview some of the greatest names in rock.

Last week he had sold a set of drums and he was using the proceeds to travel to meet his girlfriend in Vietnam.

“[He travelled the world] and for him to be killed in his own back yard it’s not right,” he said.

Yesterday, gardaí arrested two men in their 20s. They were taken to Kevin St and Pearse St Garda Stations for questioning. They can be held until this morning. CCTV footage has been gathered by investigators.

For more than 25 years Mr Moloney had worked with the Irish Independent and Evening Herald, after moving from the Irish News. More recently he had been working with the Daily Mail.

Tributes to him poured in from his former colleagues, as well as the National Union of Journalists and those who reported alongside him from Northern Ireland.

A native of Donegal, Mr Moloney has been described as an affable man and an honest reporter.

The gardaí can be contacted at 1800 666 111.