The body of a man was discovered in the south Dublin village of Dalkey on Friday following what is thought to have been a tragic accident.

The body of the 31-year-old – who has been named locally as Michael Burke – was found with visible injuries in a private laneway leading to house just off Convent Road in the village at about 8.30am on Friday.

Initial reports indicated the incident may have been violent in nature as he had a wound to his abdomen, and the scene was attended by a Garda Armed Response Unit vehicle.

However, it now appears the man may have died after becoming impaled on a fence dividing the laneway from a car park.

Gardaí have yet to confirm a cause of death, and confirmation will only be given after a postmortem examination. The results of that examination will determine the course of the Garda investigation.

It is understood that immediately prior to the incident, Mr Burke had been in a pub across the road from the laneway celebrating a new job he was due to begin next week.

Locals who knew Mr Burke said he was well-known and liked in the community. He had worked as a butcher in the SuperValu store on the main street in the village, and was from the Dalkey area.

Undiscovered

It is thought his body may have lain undiscovered in the laneway over Thursday night before a passerby raised the alarm on Friday morning.

It was removed from the scene by ambulance on Friday afternoon, but Convent Road remained closed to traffic afterwards to facilitate a further examination.

A Garda statement said gardaí in Dún Laoghaire were investigating.

Gardaí have appealed for witnesses, or anyone who may have been in the laneway on Thursday night or early Friday morning, to contact them at Dún Laoghaire Garda station on (01) 6665000.

Dalkey residents were shocked to hear of the accident and appearance of large numbers of emergency services in what is normally a quiet suburb.

“It’s been a shock, I just came across the police cordon this morning. It’s an area we’d all walk around regularly,” said one woman who lives close to the laneway, which she described as a well-used local shortcut.