Questioning of suspect in Tullamore murder resumes this morning

Questioning of the man held overnight in connection with the investigation into the suspected murder of a young woman in Tullamore is expected to resume at 8am.

The man, a Romanian national who has been living in the Co Offaly town for a number of years, was arrested yesterday afternoon following the fatal assault of a 23-year-old local primary schoolteacher on the bank of the Grand Canal.

There has been widespread shock at the death of the victim who was going for a run along a very popular walking, jogging and cycling route close to the town centre.

The crime scene at a location known as Boland's Lock remains preserved.

The man being questioned is known to the gardai and lives in Tullamore.

Local sources named the victim as Ashling Murphy, a teacher at Durrow National School who comes from a well known musical family.

The stretch of the canal where the attack occurred is called Fiona's Way in memory of Fiona Pender, a woman who grew up nearby and has been missing since 1996 when she disappeared.