Gardai now treating the death of Kildare man Ryan Gibbons as murder
Mr Gibbons, 29, lost his fight for life on Thursday morning and gardai are now closing in on the suspects in his murder.
Gardai have upgraded the investigation into the death of this young man to a murder probe, the force has announced.
It said in a statement on Friday evening that the death of Ryan Gibbons in Kildare Town was now a murder inquiry.
The decision was taken after a post mortem was carried out earlier in the day. Sources say gardai believe he was the victim of a one punch attack.
Mr Gibbons, who was 29, died on Thursday evening at Naas General Hospital – five days after he was attacked in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The force statement said: “Gardaí continue to investigate a serious assault that occurred in Kildare town in the early hours of Sunday, 26th October 2025.
“The man, aged in his 20s, who was found unresponsive on McGee Terrace at approximately 3:15am, has passed away in hospital.
“A post-mortem examination has been carried out, the results of which will not be released for operational reasons.
“Following the post-mortem examination, An Garda Síochána has now commenced a murder investigation.”
And officers again appealed for witnesses to come forward.
The statement said: “Gardaí are continuing to appeal to anyone with information in relation to this incident.
“Any road users who were in the area between 2:00am and 4:00am and who may have video footage (including dash-cam) are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact Kildare Garda Station on 045 527730, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.”
Sources have told us that investigators probing the attack have already identified several persons of interest in the investigation – and are set to move against them in the coming days.
It’s understood officers believe Mr Gibbons, who was known as Gibby, suffered fatal injuries in a co-called one punch attack.
They believe he fell and hit his head after being punched in the McGee Terrace area of Kildare Town.
Sources have also confirmed that officers believe the incident was connected to an earlier altercation that happened between Mr Gibbons and a group of young people on a bus.
They said Mr Gibbons, who was from Kildare Town, got off the bus at one stop following the petty row while others involved in it got off at another.
But he then came across them again at McGee Terrace – where he was attacked.
Mr Gibbons was found unresponsive at the terrace, which is close to the town’s Garda station, at around 3.15am.
He was rushed to Naas General Hospital, but died on Thursday.
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