Two men charged in connection with Temple Bar assault

Two men have been charged in connection with an alleged serious assault on a man in the Temple Bar area of Dublin on Wednesday.

Irish police only identified the victim after releasing a photo of a distinctive tattoo on his arm.

On Saturday, gardai said they had established who he is, and said he remains in a critical condition in the city’s Beaumont Hospital.

The two men, aged in their 20s and 30s, were arrested on Friday evening and are due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice on Monday morning.

The alleged attack happened shortly after midnight on Wednesday on Cope Street in the Temple Bar area.

Gardai first issued a description of the tattoo on the man’s right inner forearm, before releasing an picture of it on Friday night.

It is comprised of a blue and white flag and the words “Ceol is Beatha”, ceol meaning music and beatha meaning life.

They have now asked that the image is no longer used by the media.

Anyone who was in the Cope Street area between midnight and 1am, and who may have any information about the incident, is asked to contact gardai.

A Garda spokesperson said “investigations are ongoing”.