Man arrested in probe into woman’s violent death

A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a mother of three in her home.

The battered body of settled Traveller Jacqueline McDonagh, 34, was found when gardaí were called to the house in Dundalk, Co Louth, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Her husband and three children were in the house at the time.

A Garda spokesman said a man in his mid-30s was arrested in Dublin last night.

He is being questioned at Dundalk Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

“Investigations are continuing,” the spokesman said.

Detectives had been investigating several lines of inquiry, including a report a group of men called to the house on College Manor, off Hoey’s Lane, killed Mrs McDonagh.

The victim’s daughters, aged 14 and 10, and a five-year-old boy were in the house at the time of the attack, which shocked the local community.

CCTV footage from the general area is also being factored in to the investigation, which was upgraded to a murder probe following the results of an autopsy on Ms McDonagh’s body, which showed she had suffered a violent death and had been badly beaten.