A young woman who died in a dog attack in county Limerick has been named locally as Nicole Morey.
Ms Morey died near her home in Ballyneety in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after being mauled by at least one dog. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, she died at the scene.
It has been reported that the young woman was killed by an XL bully dog, however Gardai have not disclosed what type of dogs were involved in the fatal attack.
Armed Gardaí responded shortly before midnight on Tuesday night, and upon entering the house, shot and killed one dog – while restraining three more. It is understood that one or all of the dogs were on a restricted dog breeding list, requiring dogs on that list to be muzzled.
Friends and family have paid tribute to the young woman, who died on her 23rd birthday. Prayers were also led today by parish priest and family friend, Fr Richard Davern, at St Mary’s Church in Athlunkard, Limerick City, for the young woman – with the family of the deceased well known in the community and in sporting circles.
A close family member paid an emotional tribute to on social media, writing: “My heart is shattered once again. On your birthday, I only hung up on you 2 seconds before […] I really tried my best to help I’m so sorry Nicole I love you so much. It feels like a bad dream.”
“To be taken so tragically on your birthday, my heart is broken,” one friend said on social media.
A cousin remembered the young woman as “the most kindest woman in the world,” while another of many tributes described Ms Morey as “such a lovely girl.”
A death notice posted to RIP.ie says that Ms Morey died “unexpectedly, on her 23rd Birthday.”
It adds that Ms Morey is recently pr-deceased by her grandparents, Patrick O’Donnell and Marie Morey.
“Very deeply regretted by her mother Lisa, father Patrick, step parents Joseph and Nicola, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents Gerry Morey ad Teresa O’Donnell, cousins, other relatives and many friends,” the notice reads, adding: “May her gentle soul rest in peace.”
Ms Morey’s granduncle, Anthony O’Donnell, 58, spoke to The Limerick Post, telling the local paper that Ms Morey had been out celebrating her birthday hours before the attack.
“She was out for her birthday, she was 23, and she went home, opened the hall door to go in home when the dog attacked her, jumped out on top of her and attacked her,” Mr O’Donnell said.
“By the time the Gardai got there, they (the dogs) were mauling her, the gardai couldn’t really get them off of her, they had to shoot the dog to get him off of her, that’s what I’m hearing from family members that are ringing me,” Mr O’Donnell, who spoke to the newspaper from Spain, said.
He described his grandniece as “a lovely girl, with a great heart, who would do you a good turn, rather than any turn.”
“She was a decent girl, quiet, she kept to herself,” he told the newspaper. According to her granduncle, the 23-year-old treated her dogs “like her babies.”
Ms Morey’s body has been removed to University Hospital Limerick, where a post-mortem examination is set to take place. The local ti
The scene is being preserved for a technical examination and an investigation is underway.
The fatal dog attack came just hours after Gardaí had issued local media in Limerick with an alert about dog attacks and highlighted how a nine year old boy received “facial injuries” in a dog attack in Limerick City, last week, on May 29, as per a report in The Limerick Post.
In an advisory notice to the media, Sergeant Ber Leetch, Crime Prevention officer, Henry Street Garda Station, Limerick, warned people to “protect your dog but also protect any people it may come in contact with,” according to the regional newspaper.
Meanwhile, Gardaí have issued a media alert asking people not to engage in sharing a video linked to the incident with others online.
“An Garda Síochána is aware of footage of this incident in circulation and out of respect for the deceased, would ask the public and the media not to share these videos,” the statement read.