Three English tourists have been hospitalized following an assault in Temple Bar on Friday night.
The three men, who are all aged in their 20s, were taken to St. James' Hospital following an incident on Fownes Street Upper at around 10:05 p.m. on Friday. A fourth man was also attacked but did not require medical attention.
They are understood to have suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries during the assault. No arrests have been made.
One of the victims of the attack told the Journal that at least one of the attackers was carrying a knife.
The man, who did not wish to be named, said men came up and attacked them while they were walking from bar to bar on Friday night.
"There was a guy sitting on a chair and as we came close to him he asked did we want to buy drugs – I said we didn’t and kept walking," the man told the Journal.
"Suddenly guys came up from behind and attacked us – the four of us were attacked.
"They hit me straight in the head, really hard. I fell to the ground but I landed in a way that I could get up and sprint away and I ran as fast as I could down the street and into an ice cream shop."
The three men played for amateur English soccer club Aylesbury FC and had traveled to Dublin to play a pre-season friendly against St. Kevin's FC from Whitehall. The match was due to take place on Saturday but was subsequently called off as a result of the attack.
Neil Fox, a spokesperson for St. Kevin's, condemned the attack and described it as "totally disgraceful". Fox told RTÉ News that the English club was invited to visit St. Kevin's grounds on Saturday afternoon.
St. Kevin's also hosted the club in a local bar after the visit to show a "good reflection of Dublin" and highlight that only a small minority are responsible for anti-social behavior in the city.
Gardaí in Pearse Street Station are appealing for witnesses of Friday night's attack to come forward. Investigations remain ongoing.
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