Man arrested after fatal assault at 5-star hotel in Co Laois

LAST UPDATE | 22 hrs ago

A MAN HAS been arrested following the death of a man at an exclusive five star hotel in Co Laois.

Shortly before 8pm last night, gardaí were alerted to an incident at a hotel in north county Laois and a man in his 60s was found dead.

It is believed the hotel is Ballyfin Demesne, described on its website as “a 5-star country house hotel with a gourmet restaurant and a large private estate, ideal for a relaxing holiday in Ireland”.

A man in his 30s was arrested following the incident and is currently detained at a Garda station in the Eastern Region. The two men were known to each other The Journal understands.

Commenting on the incident, local Independent councillor James Kelly said the community were shocked.

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“The people in Ballyfin and Mountrath are shocked at the news they got this morning,” Kelly said.

My thoughts go out to the families… and also to the staff in Ballyfin who would have discovered this.

Investigations ongoing

Gardaí said the Garda Technical Bureau and Office of the State Pathologist were notified following the incident and that a Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation.

An incident room has been established at Portlaoise Garda Station and a Family Liaison Officer will be appointed to support the family of the deceased.

A garda spokesperson said investigations are ongoing. The hotel said it “cannot comment at all” when contacted by TheJournal.

Ballyfin Demesne is a very well-known hotel internationally, having hosted high profile celebrities. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West stayed stayed at the hotel in 2014 following their honeymoon.

It was recently voted Top Resort Hotel in Ireland and UK 2024 by Travel + Leisure magazine. In 2016 it was voted the world’s number one hotel according to over 300,000 readers of the influential New York travel magazine. 

With reporting from Cormac Fitzgerald

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