A gang of thugs who were filmed kicking an innocent man on video have bragged about their antics on Facebook.

The shocking video - which shows a man being kicked unconscious by a two men - was filmed on Dublin's Aston Quay on St Patrick's Day.

The footage shows two youths appearing to kick a man in the head before running away.

The man appears to be unconscious following the first blow - but a second man delivers another kick nonetheless.

The incident occurs as St Patrick's Day revellers throng the city centre.

The man appears to slip into unconsciousness following the attack, and is seen lying on the road.

Less than 48 hours after the video showing the attack was posted, associates of the young men took to Facebook to boast about the incident.

A friend of the group posted that “That was one the best knock outs I've ever seen”, adding “Ronaldo couldn’t kick like that!”

This morning, he updated his Facebook page to say he was not allowed on to the Adrian Kennedy show on 98FM to offer his "side of the story".

Later, he stated on his page that he was not present when the assault took place on St Patrick's Day.

Last night, a woman, who claimed to be the mother of one of the young men involved in the incident, was interviewed on the FM 104 Phoneshow.

She claimed that the altercation was a result of an earlier incident.

Several Facebook profiles of the group and friends were posted to Reddit last night, sending hundreds of social media users to the pages to express their disdain for the actions.

One of the profiles has since been deleted.

An appeal has now been made online, urging people to report any information they have to gardai and to avoid trial by social media.

The video, entitled ‘St Patrick’s Day Disgrace’, went viral on YouTube and Facebook last night, and was removed from YouTube and Liveleak by this morning.

The video shows a man on the ground being kicked by a youth. The man is knocked unconscious. No context to the attack is provided in the footage.

A garda spokesperson confirmed to Independent.ie that the incident is being investigated.

They have appealed for any witnesses to the incident to contact Pearse Street garda station or the garda confidential line.

Irish Independent