Italian police hope Kerry link can help identify injured man

A YOUNG man recovering from head injuries in an Italian hospital after a vicious assault has only one clear recollection — being in a number of pubs around North Kerry.

The Irish Embassy in Rome was contacted a few days ago as the man regained consciousness and began to recall time he had spent in Kerry.

He has no idea who he is or where he is from. He was not carrying any identification and the greatest hope of reuniting the man with his family lies in somebody recognising him and helping gardaí and Italian police solve the mystery.

About three weeks ago, the man aged in his early to mid 20s and about 6ft was seriously injured in a vicious assault.

He was taken to hospital in the Italian town of Faenza, where he remained unconscious for some time.

As he regained consciousness and medical staff tried to ascertain his identity, he referred on numerous occasions to bars and locations around North Kerry, particularly Tralee.

He recalls Paddy Macs, Harty's, The Mall Tavern and Baily's Corner all well-known pubs in Tralee town centre. He also remembers Supermacs in Tralee. The mystery has baffled Italian police and gardaí in Kerry.

It is possible the young man is Irish, but he speaks in broken English.

Police believe he is definitely from Europe and may have studied or holidayed in Kerry.

In an attempt to establish the man's identity, gardaí and the Department of Foreign Affairs have issued posters to numerous bars and public locations in North Kerry.

Gardaí do not believe the injured man worked in any of the pubs he has mentioned. "Right now, neither he nor anybody else in the world knows who is. There is probably a family somewhere worried about his whereabouts and they need to be contacted," an embassy spokesperson said.

Any information can be given to gardaí in Tralee at 066-7122022.