Two held over Halloween knife killing of young father

TWO men were last night in custody in connection with the murder of a man stabbed to death after a Halloween party.

More arrests are planned, the Irish Daily Mail has learned.

Father-of-three David Boland, 34, was attacked shortly before 6am on Thursday morning in Athy, Co. Kildare. The two suspects were arrested yesterday morning and remained in custody last night at Newbridge and Kildare Garda Stations.

The pair, aged 26 and 27, were arrested at locations in Carlow town and Athy yesterday morning and officers believe that they have information about the murder. ‘They are among several people present [at the party] that gardaí suspect know what happened. More arrests are planned,’ a senior source said.

It is understood that the brutal knife murder was ‘partially’ caught on CCTV. Officers are following a definite line of enquiry. Mr Boland, from the village of Nurney, Co. Kildare, has been described as a ‘highly respected and a hard-working man’.

Detectives are still trying to piece together why the young father was in the Duke Street area at 5.45am when he was attacked by a knifewielding individual who had been at the Halloween house party.

Sources say the victim had just arrived in the area in his silver Audi car where the party was taking place in a flat above a shop on Castle Street and opposite Edmund Rice Square in the south Kildare town which had been attended by around 25 people. Sources say somebody at the party became agitated and a disagreement or row developed.

The people from the party then ended up on the street and at some point, Mr Boland was stabbed. After the victim was attacked, his car was driven away from the scene.

It was crashed a short distance away on Stradbally Road.

A failed attempt was made to burn it out.