Your top stories on Thursday: American killed in Ballyfin was in Ireland to help son; Parties clash on rent freezes

An American man in his 60s had arrived in Ireland to assist his son amid concerns due to the way the younger man was acting, hours before the older man was fatally assaulted in the leisure complex of the luxury five-star resort Ballyfin Demesne in Co Laois.
The victim’s son, who is in his 30s and is also from the US, is a suspect for the fatal assault, and remained in Garda custody on Wednesday night.
The crime scene inside the country house hotel, located on the 600-acre demesne, was sealed off throughout Wednesday, and underwent an examination by Garda forensic experts following the assault on Tuesday night. The victim, who had travelled from New York, was found injured and unresponsive just before 8pm.
Get the best content direct to your inbox by signing up to one of our newsletters