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Gardaí in Cork are appealing for witnesses in relation to an investigation into an alleged serious sexual assault on a woman last Saturday, August 24. 

Gardaí wish to make contact with anyone who was in the Connolly Road or Vicars Road area between 4am and 7am on the morning of August 24, 2019 and noticed anything suspicious.

They are also appealing to possible motorists who may have dash-cam footage to please contact investigating Gardaí at the incident room at Togher Garda Station.

The incident allegedly occurred in the vicinity of Ballyphehane in Cork during the early hours of the Saturday morning.

Anyone with information are asked to contact the Togher Garda Station on 021-494712, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any local Garda station.

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Nora Quoirin's family have issued an emotional statement following the discovery of the 15-year-old's body in Malaysia yesterday.

Nora vanished from the resort in Dusun on Saturday, August 3 and her body was found 10 days later near a small stream roughly 1.6 miles from the resort.

A post-mortem is being conducted today to determine the cause of death. Writing an emotional letter, her family thanked those who had helped in the search.

The schoolgirl has lived with learning difficulties after being born with a rare brain disorder named holoprosencephaly. Her grieving family spoke of how she "truly touched the world";

“Nora is at the heart of our family. She is the truest, most precious girl and we love her infinitely,” they said.

“The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable. Our hearts are broken. We will always love our Nora.”

“We would like to thank all the people that have been searching for Nora and trying their best to find her,” the statement added.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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“We thank the local people here and those far and wide for their prayers and support at this time.

“Nora has brought people together, especially from France, Ireland, Britain and Malaysia, united in their love and support for her and her family.

“To all our friends and family at home, we can’t thank you enough for all your love.”

Hundreds of people were involved in the search for the missing girl, who disappeared without a trace. A window downstairs had been left open.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The search for Nora received worldwide support, as the daughter of a French-Irish couple living in London. Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin thanked those who contributed to the fundraising effort.

Nora’s aunt and uncle raising more than £100,000 online to help in the search. 

At a press conference held on Tuesday, August 13, deputy police chief Mazlan Mansor told reporters Nora’s body was winched by helicopter to a hospital mortuary.

The body “was not in any clothings” and that the police were looking into all possibilities including the “angle of criminal investigation”.

President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, and his wife Sabina were among those to offer their “deepest condolences” to Nora’s parents and her family.

Feature image: Lucie Blackman Trust

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Teen drama 13 Reasons Why has been renewed for a fourth and final season on Netflix, Variety has just reported.

Season 4 is currently in production, with the trailer for Season 3 being released yesterday teasing the death of a major, yet controversial, character at Liberty High.

The core cast's graduation from high school will be featured in the final season, and Season 3 will debut on August 23 with 13 more drama-filled episodes.

Season 3 is set to pick up eight months after the events from Season 2, focusing on Clay (Dylan Minnette), Tony (Christian Navarro), Jessica (Alisha Boe), Alex (Miles Heizer), Justin (Brandon Flynn), and Zach (Ross Butler) discovering methods to handle the cover-up together while helping Tyler (Devin Druid) move on from his issues.

A turbulent Homecoming football game leads to the disappearance of a key player, and Clay becomes the subject of a police investigation. A shrewd outsider must guide the group from the danger which could release everyone's darkest secrets.

According to Variety's source, suicide will not be part of Season 3.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Timothy Granaderos, Anne Winters, Steven Weber, Brenda Strong. Amy Hargreaves, and Grace Saif will also feature in Season 3.

Showrunner and creator Brian Yorkey will executive produce with Mandy Teefey, Kristel Laiblin, Selena Gomez, and Joy Gorman.

The show is based on the novel of the same name by Jay Asher, which wrapped up at the end of the pilot season. Season 1 gained notoriety for its depictions of teenage suicide.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Season 2 was regarded as a step down from the first season, with critics and fans alike disapproving of the storylines. Netflix have only recently edited out the scene in Season 1 where Hannah (Katherine Langford) commits suicide.

The scene now shows Hannah staring at her own reflection in the mirror before cutting to her parents’ reaction in a later scene, without showing the gruesome wrists-slitting bath scene.

"On the advice of medical experts, including Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we’ve decided with creator Brian Yorkey and the producers to edit the scene in which Hannah takes her own life from season one," a statement from the show read.

Feature image: Instagram/@13reasonswhy_13

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Love Island's Joe Garratt has released a statement regarding his treatment of Lucie Donlan in the villa, and it's fairly stubborn.

The sandwich maker has refused to apologise for his behaviour on the show, and insisted that he never tried to 'control' his fellow contestant.

Over 300 complaints were made to television watchdog Ofcom regarding how Lucie was treated by the hit ITV2 programme.

Image: ITV2

Joe was axed this week along with Elma Pazar, and left Lucie in tears after telling her to avoid male friendships on the show, mainly with Tommy Fury.

The 22-year-old has since denied any wrongdoing, telling The Sun; “I didn’t manipulate or abuse her and I’m gutted it’s been perceived that way.

“I’d do everything and anything to help her as she had a hard time in there and didn’t get on with the girls. I thought I did right.”

He also had no idea that "snakey" Amy Hart was slagging Lucie off behind her back.

The 21-year-old surfer chick broke down several times on Love Island, leading to criticism of ITV for a perceived failure to offer her guidance and support.

The broadcaster insisted that it provided psychological support to any upset contestants.

Joe was targeted for telling Lucie to avoid other boys on te show, which led to Women's Aid to release a statement about his 'abusive behaviour'.

Joe has refused to apologise, but admitted that he “may have worded things wrong”;

“I may have worded things wrong and the cameras are on you 24/7. I’m young and inexperienced. I’m not going to say sorry," he added. 

"I didn’t know how I was coming across on the outside. I’d no idea I was being perceived in that sense.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Concerns over Lucie's well-being come amid heightened worries over the welfare of reality TV stars. 

Two high-profile suicides of ex-Love Island contestants, 32-year-old Sophie Gradon and 26-year-old Mike Thalassitis , have led to widespread criticism of the show. 

Bosses of ITV have also been slated for failing to show accurate portrayals of sexual orientations, gender-identities, body diversity or racial representation on the show.

MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee have launched an inquiry into the problems surrounding reality TV.

Feature image: ITV2

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Someone pick us up off the cold, hard ground, because we are CONFUSED as hell after hearing the latest conspiracy theory regarding the Kardashians.

The famous family are absolutely embroiled in the drama (where else would they be?) after Tristan Thompson allegedly cheated on Khloe with Jordyn Woods, AKA Kylie Jenner's bestie.

Tristan is the father of Khloe's daughter, True Thompson, and has been caught up in his fair share of infidelity scandals himself, having cheated on Khloe while she was pregnant multiple times. Classy.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Khlo(@khloekardashian) on

Brace yourselves for this next part, because the Konspiracy of Khloe Kardashian is about to let a Kat out of the bag. It's major.

Fans are now speculating that Khloe created Jordyn Woods as a "honey trap" for Tristan, knowing he would cheat and create yet another scandal. All for the next season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Yup, people genuinely think the family are orchestrating this chaos. Kris Jenner specifically, which we TOTALLY believe. The momager is iconic, and can spin drama from legit nothing at all.

One Twitter user wrote; "This Khloe Kardashian/Tristan/Jordyn drama screams honey trap and a season 17 story line." We have to agree, the timing is perfect. 

The family are positively gifted at staying relevant. Many presume that the only reason Khloe took Tristan back after he cheated was for this precise reason; more drama. 

Imagine planting your younger sister's 21-year-old BFF (who lives in her mansion for free) as a honey trap for your love rat boyfriend…Imagine…

Another user wrote; "The man has form, until now she's been a good friend to Kylie. I sense a set up. Tristan failed & he's out." It was all a major Tristan Test, and predictably the lad failed.

He cheated on his ex-girlfriend, who was also pregnant, with Khloe. It's not that surprising he can't change his cheater ways, is it?

Others think that Jordyn herself was in on the entire plan with the Kardashians, which is craziness at it's finest.

"Khloe Kardashian and Jordyn Woods planned this together so Khloe would have a good reason to dump Tristan – A Conspiracy," one eagle-eyed fan tweeted. We're SO here for these thoughts.

Another, even wilder, theory ponders the thought that Khloe and TRISTAN HIMSELF were in on the gag together;

"Conspiracy: Tristan Thompson didn’t really cheat on Khloe Kardashian, they made the whole thing up to make more money like Beyoncé and Jay-Z did in 2018."

This gal is referencing Beyoncé's iconic Lemonade album, which was a direct response to Jay-Z's cheating scandal with "Becky with the good hair." The general public were enthralled.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Jordyn Woods has reportedly moved out of Kylie Jenner's home, which is probably for the best.

Khloe has also responded by posting a series of cryptic tweets about pain and betrayal, but hasn't commented herself. Kim also slammed trolls who criticised Khloe for making a public appearance at the PrettyLittleThing event.

The scandal also came out days before Jordyn launched a new false eyelash range in Los Angeles, with the model saying the most underwhelming statement the world has ever heard.

Jordyn told the crowd; "Through everything that's been going on, you know it’s been real, and Eylure has been super real." Wow, this gal's an eloquent scholar.

What conspiracy theories about the scenario do you believe? We personally are fans of the Kris Jenner "the devil works hard…" one, but maybe the entire thing was truly just a disorganised mess.

Feature image: @khloekardashian/Instagram

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One of Ireland's biggest taxi app, MyTaxi, is set to rebrand it's name to FREE NOW later this year.

The company, formerly known as Hailo, emailed it's customers today and informed them about the name change. The app changed it's name to MyTaxi back in 2017, spending €5 million on the large ad campaign.

In a statement sent to consumers, MyTaxi wrote;

“The most important thing to remember is that there will be no change to the mytaxi service and app. We’ll still have the same app, the same local team and the same 5-star drivers – just with a new name later this year.” 

The company tweeted about the change; "We’ve exciting news  We’re joining a new mobility brand family. This means we’re getting a new name and look, and will be changing our name to FREE NOW later this year."

The change is apparently due to a merger between Daimler, it's majority shareholder, and BMW

SHARE NOW, REACH NOW, PARK NOW and CHARGE NOW are also a part of the “new brand family”, however these groups don't operate in Ireland as of yet.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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"At MyTaxi, we're always working hard to give people the freedom to move around cities as easily as possible," they said in their latest statement, according to Newstalk.

"As we continue to grow across Europe, it's important that we are consistent, recognisable and offer the best experience possible to all our passengers, no matter where you hail from".

There will be no change to the MyTaxi service and app, which carried over 16 million passengers across Ireland last year. MyTaxi is available in nine countries and more than 100 European cities.

The FAQs section is available for MyTaxi users to help answer its customers queries.

Feature: @mytaxi_ie/Instagram

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A study has just found that major high street chemists are selling potentially damaging tooth-whitening kits, leaving teeth weaker and more sensitive.

Testing of five common brands discovered that they can harm enamel, and dental experts are now requesting a ban on non-hydrogen peroxide based whitening kits sold over the counter.

Tests on extracted teeth that had been whitened saw damage, according to a study published on Friday in the British Dental Journal.

Home users can apparently cause more damage to occur by leaving the whitening strips on for too long or using them too often. If they have underlying dental problems, the authors said they are also at risk.

Dr Linda Greenwall, author from Manchester University wrote; “The lack of research and ease of availability of these products from major retailers is alarming and may potentially be harming the consumers’s dentition.”

A wide range of teeth whitening products have been saturating the market since an EU directive in 2011 said products with more than 0.1 percent hydrogen peroxide were only be sold to dentists.

Dr Greenwell and her colleagues claim that, despite safety testing taking place, the longer-term effects of the whitening kits are drastically misunderstood.

Three of the tested products in the BDJ study possess sodium chlorite, an additive which can react in the mouth to product enamel-harming chemicals.

Samples which were treated with the Brilliant 5-minute kit and iWhite instant teeth whitening had the most noticeable effects after being tested, and also showed softening which leaves teeth vulnerable to abrasions.

Users have potentially wasted time and money, as some of the tested whitening kits produced no effects at all.

The British Dental Bleaching Society is now asking for all dentists to be trained in tooth-whitening and bleaching. A spokesperson for the group said;

“We are concerned that the OTC products included in the study may be harmful to teeth and advise the general public to see their dentist if they are considering having their teeth whitened.

A Boots spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers is extremely important to us and we thoroughly assess all of our dental care products before we put them on sale.”

High street cosmetic procedures have been increasingly popular with more of the public trying to imitate the look of celebrities and reality TV personalities.

Feature image: @iwhiteteeth/Instagram

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Jess Glynne's Brit Awards performance has been hailed as "inspirational" after she removed her makeup during the song, backed by a legion of women.

She performed her hit single Thursday surrounded by fellow ladies removing their cosmetics in front of the audience, and we got CHILLZ (They're multiplyin').

Glynne looked stunning in a white strapless dress for the rendition, and emoved her false eyelashes and wipes off her eyeshadow during the lyrics; "I won’t wear makeup on Thursday, 'cause who I am is enough”.

The star was joined by a group of fellow women who also donned white for the occasion, and simultaneously removed their makeup using hand towels in front of vanity mirrors.

Halfway through the tune, the British singer was joined by two-time Grammy winner H.E.R, and the standout moment became all the more powerful.

A video of countless women removing makeup played behind them, showing the need to fight back against society's strict and unrealistic beauty standards for women.

Twitter has gone absolutely wild with praise for the pair, with one person even tweeting; “That was one of the most empowering performances I’ve ever seen." YAS.

The moment came just after The 1975 frontman and absolute feminist legend Matt Healy accepted band’s award for “Best British Group” and spoke out about misogyny in the entertainment industry.

The relevance; we heart.

Healy quoted an article written about singer Ryan Adams by friend and music journalist Laura Snapes, who writes for The Guardian and Pitchfork.

“Male misogynist acts are examined for nuance and defended as traits of ‘difficult’ artists, while women and those who call them out are treated as hysterics who don’t understand art.”

Bravo Jess, and Bravo Matt. We love you both, keep slamming the ridiculous standards of the music business.

Feature image: @fashionliveevents/Instagram

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Alongside Prada and Gucci's blackface scandals, major fashion brands have recently come under fire for making some major PC-related errors.

Burberry is the latest company to be added to this list of elite couture scandals, after their autumn/winter collection at London Fashion Week featured a hoodie with strings resembling a noose.

Yes, you read that right. An actual noose, akin to those used for lynchings or suicides. They really didn't think this one through…and now the model who wore the design down the runway has expressed her horror;

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 (@liz.kennedy_) on

Liz Kennedy, turned to Instagram to illustrate her anger and disturbance after she was fitted wearing the hoodie, as suicide touches a personal nerve for her.

"Suicide is not fashion. It is not glamorous nor edgy and since this show is dedicated to the youth expressing their voice, here I go. Riccardo Tisci and everyone at Burberry: it is beyond me how you could let a look resembling a noose hanging from a neck out on the runway," she wrote.

She stated that the Burberry team "briefly hung one from the ceiling (trying to figure out the knot) and were laughing about it in the dressing room. I had asked to speak to someone about it but the only thing I was told to do was to write a letter."

The brand released an apology statement following a huge wave of backlash after the runway show, and the design is now removed from the new collection.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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According to Fortune, Marco Gobbetti, Burberry chief executive officer, said;

"We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our A/W 2019 runway collection. I called Ms. Kennedy to apologise as soon as I became aware of this on Monday and we immediately removed the product and all images that featured it."

He continued, "Though the design was inspired by the marine theme that ran throughout the collection, it was insensitive and we made a mistake."

The fashion faux pas follows Gucci's debut of a $890 balaclava sweater that evoked blackface images earlier this month.

Liz Kennedy also mentioned the impressionable young women who would see the noose hoodie;

"How could anyone overlook this and think it would be okay to do this especially in a line dedicated to young girls and youth. The impressionable youth. Not to mention the rising suicide rates world wide. Let’s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either."

"I left my fitting extremely triggered after seeing this look (even though I did not wear it myself). Feeling as though I was right back where I was when I was going through an experience with suicide in my family," she said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 (@liz.kennedy_) on

Kennedy also claims that she attempted to speak to someone about it, but was brushed off;

"I had a brief conversation with someone but all that it entailed was “it’s fashion. Nobody cares about what’s going on in your personal life so just keep it to yourself” well I’m sorry but this is an issue bigger than myself."

"The issue is not about me being upset, there is a bigger picture here of what fashion turns a blind eye to or does to gain publicity. A look so ignorantly put together and a situation so poorly handled. I am ashamed to have been apart of the show. #burberry."

The collection, Tempest, is Riccardo Tisci’s second for the brand. Marco Gobbetti has since called Kennedy to apologise personally and address the situation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Riccardo Tisci (@riccardotisci17) on

In an updated post, Kennedy wrote;

"My family and I were recently impacted by suicide so I know how devastating it is when someone you love decides to take their life. I’m not someone who is easily offended or triggered but I knew by the way this piece effected me, it would do the same to many others."

She continued, referencing Marco Gobbetti, Burberry's chief executive;

 "Whether people are dealing with suicide, mental illness themselves, or someone close to them facing these issues they can’t be taken lightly. Since my post, Marco called me to address the situation."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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"I think the response by Burberry and their team since then is commendable. I believe this is a learning moment and they will think about these things more in-depth moving forward."

The model bravely spoke out about the incident, and the brand has responded. It just goes to show that fashion isn't completely rigid, and it's valuable to call them out on their mistakes.

"The positive that has come out of this is a reminder of the power of one voice, and the good that can be done when brands are held accountable."

Feature image: Adweek

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Fashion brand Gucci has been forced to apologise after releasing a balaclava-style jumper which resembles 'blackface', according to the Evening Standard.

The black piece of attire was being sold as part of their Fall/Winter 2018 campaign, and covers the lower half of the face and red mouth cut-out.

The jumper has now been removed from sale, and the brand has issued an apology after facing massive social media backlash for the offensive material.

Their statement was released by a spokesman for the luxury fashion house, saying that they consider diversity a 'fundamental value' of their company and that the incident would be adapted into a 'powerful learning movement';

"Gucci deeply apologises for the offence caused by the wool balaclava jumper. We can confirm that the item has been immediately removed from our online store and all physical stores."

“We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make. We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organisation and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond," it concluded.

The description for Gucci's item originally read; 

“Inspired by vintage ski masks, multi-coloured knitted balaclavas walked the runway, adding a mysterious feel to this collection. This knit top combines the accessory with the ready-to-wear collection.”

Social media users managed to get screenshots of the $890 jumper before it was pulled, ironically noting that it was Black History Month.

One Twitter user wrote; “Haute Couture Blackface for the millennials?”

Gucci's problems with fashion mishaps is the latest incident in a number of racially-charged mistakes by designer fashion brands. 

Prada removed items last month over products which were also concerning for the public.

Feature image: India Today

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An 18-year-old Belfast man has accidentally become the JAMMIEST teenager in the universe.

Dane Gillespie cashed an £8,900 cheque from his granny into his Nationwide account the other day, only to see that there were some extra 0's there that could light up anyone's world.

Basically, he was an absolute millionaire, with a cool £8,800,000 in his possession. For a day, at least…

Dane's mother was interviewed by Belfast Live about her son's bank balance, and it's pretty gas.

"We couldn’t believe it. My son thought he was a millionaire for a few hours. Next minute my husband messaged me with the photograph of his bank account details. It took me a wee while to click," she said.

"He’s going to me, ‘I’m gonna order a Porsche’ and I said, ‘Don’t be daft, that’s not our money, we need to get this sorted," she laughed. That lad has expensive taste…

His mother talked some sense into him;"It was like that for a good few hours. For an 18-year-old being a millionaire for the day, he just can’t believe it. He just wanted to go out and spend, but if you do then you have to pay it back."

"He thought all his birthdays came at once this morning. It’s mad," she finished. Unfortunately for Dane, Nationwide corrected their mistake ASAP, so his good fortune didn't last long.

In a statement to MailOnline, a spokesman for Nationwide said:

"The customer paid the cheque in at the branch and unfortunately the wrong amount was keyed. The error was noticed straight away and the balance was corrected in a matter of seconds."

"While the amount was shown on his balance, cheques do not clear straight away, so the funds were never in is account. Sadly he may have to wait a little longer to buy the Porsche he wants," they joked.

Savage stuff, Nationwide.

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A man has been arrested in connection with the death of a 27-year-old woman in Donegal last night.

Gardaí sealed off the area in Forest Park in the village of Killygordon after being called to the scene.

Local reports on Friday morning stating that a person had been fatally wounded.

Sources then said the victim had died following the incident, with the body remaining at the scene.

Gardaí have since confirmed that a full investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the death of the young woman.

A man in his 20s has been detained in Letterkenny Garda Station.

Three ambulances allegedly arrived at the house in the east of the county in the early hours of this morning, with children and other occupants leaving the house shortly afterwards.

A statement released by the Gardaí at 11:45am has stated;

“Gardaí are investigating the circumstances of the death of a woman in her 20s this morning the 4th of January 2019 at Forest Park, Killygordan, Co. Donegal. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene."

"The Office of the State Pathologist has been notified and the body remains at the scene pending an examination. The Garda Technical Bureau has been notified and will be carrying out a technical examination at the scene today.

"A man in his 20s has been arrested and is detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 in Letterkenny Garda Station. Investigations are ongoing.”

Patrick McGowan, who is the local county councillor in Killygordon, commented that; “All we know is that there has been a very serious incident and everyone in the locality is shocked."

“All we know is that somebody has been seriously hurt and Gardaí are awaiting the forensics team to arrive.”

He stated that locals are awaiting more information on the incident.

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