A young man in Dublin has died after apparently downing a pint of whiskey as part of a social media trend

A young man in Dublin has died after apparently downing a pint of whiskey as part of a social media trend.

The 23-year-old from the south inner city is said to have taken part in a 'neck nomination', a trend where people are dared to down a pint of an alcoholic drink in the space of 24 hours on social media.

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

The young man who died drank the pint at a party in the Pearse Street area of Dublin on Friday night after he was 'nominated'.

It's believed the man, who was a student, was found dead at his friend's house early yesterday morning.

"He was a legend, a lovely guy with an absolute zest for life," a friend said.

"He loved to have fun and was a real character, a joker, and someone who loved his family," the family friend added.

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

'Neck nomination', 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.

Jason Kennedy

Irish Independent