By Catherine Shanahan, Irish Examiner
A woman was fatally assaulted and her husband injured in a violent incident in the Montenotte area of Cork city this morning where neighbours intervened to restrain an armed man.
The victim, a well-known and popular woman in her 60s, died at the scene.
Her husband received multiple stab wounds and was taken by ambulance to the Mercy University Hospital where he underwent surgery.
UPDATE (6.52pm): The couple have been named locally as Marion and Bill Horgan.
Gardaí have described his injuries as non-life threatening.
A man in his mid-20s was arrested at the scene and taken to Mayfield Garda Station for questioning under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. It is understood he is known to the couple.
He can be held for an initial period of 12 hours with an option to extend.
The incident took place at around 7.30am. The alarm was raised by neighbours who spotted an older man running from his home being chased by a younger man armed with a knife.
The alarm was raised with gardaí and they went to the scene. Three ambulances also attended the scene, along with a local doctor. The woman was pronounced dead at the house.
Later in the morning, members of the garda forensic unit arrived to carry out a technical examination.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster also attended.
The woman’s body was subsequently removed from the scene and taken to Cork University Hospital where a full post mortem will be conducted.
Gardaí are conducting door-to-door inquiries in the area.
Neighbours in the tranquil suburb overlooking Cork city were in shock when they woke this morning to the sound of sirens.
“I knew her…She was a very nice person. It’s sad…and it shook me,” a neighbour said.
Another neighbour told local radio station 96fm: “I was shocked when I heard it. It’s so quiet here, the whole area is very quiet here.”
Neighbours described the victims as “lovely sociable people” who were very active in the community.
Additional reporting by Ann Murphy, Evening Echo