THE two men involved in the altercation that killed journalist Eugene Moloney did not even know each other.
The apparently random nature of the fatal attack was laid bare as gardai investigating the murder questioned two suspects last night.
They are both in their 20s and from highly respectable families living on the southside of the city.
Mr Moloney, a former reporter with the Irish Independent, died after suffering one punch to the head on Camden Street in Dublin during the early hours of Sunday morning.
The 55-year-old was exchanging words with one man when he was apparently hit from behind by another. But in a bizarre twist, gardai believe the two men in custody are complete strangers to each other.
A decision will be taken this morning on whether the two suspects should be charged or released.
Gardai have been examining footage from CCTV cameras in the area and interviewing others who were walking along the street at the time of the assault.
But they said they had found no evidence so far to link the fatal assault to the earlier exchange of words.
Meanwhile, friends and colleagues of Mr Moloney paid tribute to the "old-school hack" with a genuine passion for news.
He spent two decades with Independent Newspapers, having joined the 'Evening Herald' in 1987 before moving to the Irish Independent several years later.
Stunned colleagues of the talented journalist yesterday remembered the "happy-go-lucky" Donegal man with a passion for foreign travel.
Searches
Having left the newspaper in 2007, Mr Moloney spent some time in Asia but returned to live in Dublin in recent months.
Mr Moloney was walking along Camden Street in the city centre at around 4.30am on Sunday morning, on his way home to nearby Portobello after a night out with friends.
After being punched, Mr Moloney immediately fell to the ground and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards at St James's hospital.
Gardai said last night they were satisfied with the progress achieved so far in their investigation.
Two men were detained in a series of garda searches early yesterday morning in Templeogue and Rathfarnham.
They were taken to Kevin Street and Pearse Street stations under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which meant they could be detained without charge for up to 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Mr Moloney's family were left "devastated" by his shocking death.
His brother Sean said Mr Moloney would be laid to rest beside his mother Peg in Fahan, Co Donegal.
"We still haven't taken it all in," said Sean (58). He added that funeral arrangements have yet to be finalised.
Seamus Dooley, Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), expressed his condolences to Mr Moloney's brother and other family on the "senseless killing".
"Eugene was a vibrant, enthusiastic journalist with an engaging personality and a genuine passion for newsgathering.
"Eugene could be relied upon to enliven whatever company he was in, and was a regular contributor to debates within the NUJ chapel at the Irish Independent."
Northern Ireland MP Mark Durkan, of the SDLP, said he was shocked by the death.
He had known Mr Moloney for many years, dating back to when he was a student officer at Queen's University, Belfast and Mr Moloney was a young reporter with the 'Irish News'.
"Eugene was vivacious and engaging, constantly cheerful and perpetually youthful. He took his job seriously, but never took himself too seriously."
- Tom Brady and Breda Heffernan
Irish Independent
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