A homeless man has died after being attacked in Ireland - with his tent found on fire nearby.

Police were called to reports of a fire and a man in his 50s who was unconscious in Mardyke Walk, Cork, in the early hours of Sunday.

The man was found lying a short distance from the tent and taken to Cork University Hospital at about 1am, but he later died.

Irish police confirmed he suffered serious injuries consistent with an assault and they have launched a murder investigation.

"The man does not have injuries consistent with being in a fire so we do not believe he was in the tent when it was set alight," Det Supt Mick Comyns told the Irish Times.


The victim was found in an area beside a public park which has increasingly been used by homeless people in recent months and Mr Comyns has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

"We are also appealing to motorists who may have passed through Mardyke Walk around these times to make dashcam footage available to us," he added.

"There are a number of guest houses in the area with visitors to the city staying [on Saturday night] and we would ask that if anybody seen or heard anything, no matter how insignificant they think it is, to contact us."