A young man - who had reportedly 'downed' a large quantity of whiskey as part of a social media trend - has been found dead after a night out in Dublin.

It is not yet known if alcohol was a factor in his death.

It's understood the 23-year-old had taken part in a 'neck nomination', a trend where people are dared on social media to down a pint of an alcoholic drink quickly within the following 24 hours.

The participant must then video their actions as part of the dare.

The young man, from Ringsend in Dublin, is understood to have consumed a drink at a party in the city centre last night after he was 'nominated'.

He was reportedly found dead at his friend's house this morning.

The man, who was in his early 20s, was a third level student living in Dublin.

A close family friend who did not want to be named, told Independent.ie: "He was a legend, a lovely guy with an absolute zest for life. He loved to have fun and was a real character, a joker, and someone who loved his family.

"He was very close with his family and was always going away with his brothers. They're devastated."

Dublin's coroners office will examine the circumstances surrounding the sudden death.

It is not clear whether the reported consumption of alcohol is connected to his death.

Gardai are not investigating the death as there is no criminal act involved.

Neck Nominations, which is thought to have originated in Australia, has become very popular on Irish social media.

Participants in the practice record a video of themselves downing a pint as fast as they can and nominating other people to do it once they have finished.

It has been condemned by many organisations promoting the responsible consumption of alcohol, including Alcohol Ireland. The 'game' reinforces the belief that getting drunk is both normal and fun, according to the organisation's chief Suzanne Costello.

"The way this game spreads through social media by ‘nominations’ also means that many young people who would never consider doing something like this are now coming under considerable peer pressure to put themselves in danger, not just in terms of their health, but also the poor decision-making, accidents and the other forms of risky behaviour that we know go hand-in-hand with binge drinking," she said.

Online Editors