Man fatally stabbed in Youghal had been convicted of manslaughter of French chef

Olivia Kelleher

A 31-year-old man who died after being stabbed in Youghal in Co Cork on Monday evening had been convicted of the manslaughter of a French chef in 2015.

Gardaí and the emergency services were called to the scene following a row between two men at a pub on North Main Street in the town at around 9.50 pm on Monday.

Daniel (Dano) O’Sullivan was transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH), where he was treated for serious injuries. He was later pronounced dead.

A 29-year-old man has been arrested for questioning in connection with his death. He is being detained at Midleton Garda Station in the county.

Mr O’Sullivan was a native of Mallow in Co Cork. He was living in an apartment in Youghal at the time of his death.

In 2016, Mr O’Sullivan pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to the manslaughter of Vincent Morgain (34) on Lower Oliver Plunkett St in Cork.

Sgt Dave O’Callaghan told the court that O’Sullivan and two others bought a 700ml bottle of vodka at 10.30 am on September 10th, 2015.

Mr O’Sullivan passed out after drinking most of it quickly. By lunchtime, he and the two others left the boardwalk on Lapps Quay and went to Lower Oliver Plunkett St where Mr Morgain and a woman were sitting in a doorway at the back of Jury’s Inn hotel.

They had a bag with a drink in it. One of the three men grabbed the drink, and when Mr Morgain stood up, O’Sullivan punched him, knocking him to the ground, where he banged his head.

He struggled on his hands and knees to get up and O’Sullivan kicked him in the head, an attack that was witnessed by passers-by and motorists.

A number of people went to the assistance of Mr Morgain, who was unconscious on the ground when O’Sullivan and the others walked away.

A passing ambulance transferred him to hospital, where he died on September 15th 2015. Blunt force trauma to the head was one of the main causes of death, and excess alcohol was also noted by the pathologist.

Mr Morgain lived in Kerry for a period in 2000 and worked in several hotels. He developed a drinking problem and moved to Cork a year before his death.

Mr O’Sullivan expressed deep remorse for his actions at the sentencing hearing, where he was jailed for eight years with the last three years suspended.

Marie Thomas, a sister of the late Vincent Morgain, had told the court of her hope that the man responsible for the manslaughter of her brother could be rehabilitated.

Ms Thomas said she wanted Mr O’Sullivan to use the suspended portion of his sentence to “make good of his life.”

Mr O’Sullivan was sent back to prison in 2021 for failing to comply with the probation service following his release from prison.

At that time, his probation officer described him as “as a young man with great potential who needed to address his heroin addiction and related issues in order to realise that potential.”

Meanwhile, Mr O’Sullivan’s sister Sam, posted on social media about her deep sense of loss at the passing of her older brother.

She said that her “heart was broken” at the loss of her Dano her “one of a kind big bro.”

Kay Curtin, who runs a business close to the scene, told Red FM News said that locals were “shocked and upset for the families involved.”

“I just couldn’t believe it this morning when I came down to discover, I thought somebody had been injured but as the day went on then we found out that somebody had died.”

Investigations are ongoing. The scene where the attack occurred has been forensically examined. A postmortem was due to take place this afternoon at CUH.

A Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) has been appointed to lead the investigation, and an incident room has been established at Midleton Garda Station.

A Family Liaison Officer (FLO) will be assigned to support the family of the deceased.

Investigating gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Midleton Garda station on 021 4621550, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.