The remains of a man found on the outskirts of Galway city over five years ago have been identified as those of a Polish national.

The breakthrough follows an extensive investigation involving gardaí and international police agencies.

Inquiries were launched after the decomposing body of the man was found on a patch of woodland, close to the Knocknacarra area in September 2014.

It has emerged that two Polish men were able to shed light on the case after they were made aware of previous appeals to try to ascertain the man's identity.

This led to DNA tests being conducted in Poland in the last week, which confirmed the man was a Polish national.

Gardaí understand that the man travelled to the United States in the early 1990s from Poland.

In 2014, he travelled to Ireland and his body was found weeks later in Rusheen Bay Woods in Galway.

Superintendent Patrick McHugh said: "Great credit is due to the dedicated gardaí who have been working this case to establish the identity of this man since 2014.

"The circumstances of this case are both sad and tragic.

"The family and An Garda Síochána are grateful to the individuals who came forward to provide us with the key to solving this matter.

"Taking the crucial step of contacting the Gardaí has ensured that this man's family are now aware of the whereabouts of their loved one."

As part of their investigation, gardaí carried out fingerprint and dental examinations.

A facial reconstruction was also carried out by the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee, in Scotland.

The man was carrying few possessions, but did have a single silver key with EPA inscribed on it.

Read more: How dead man was identified after a five-year investigation

The clothing he was wearing had been recently bought in the US or Canada and gardaí said these items were key to solving the case.

They said: "In recent weeks, two Polish individuals contacted gardaí after only becoming aware of the previous appeals.

"They informed gardaí that a Polish man had been living with them in a house in Galway for a brief period in late September 2014 and had advised them to rent his room out after a certain period of time if he did not return.

"Since that time the men had changed the locks in their home, but had retained the old locking mechanism.

"Gardaí were able to confirm that the key which had been found on the deceased man was a match to this locking mechanism."

The man's remains were initially buried in Bohermore Cemetery, Co Galway.

His family have been contacted and a file will be prepared for the county coroner.