Just after midnight on Saturday morning, 19-year-old Ciaran Kennedy was cycling home from Dublin Airport – where he is working a summer job with RyanAir – when he was attacked by a gang of five men. The incident occurred on the Swords Road between Santry and Whitehall.
Ciaran said the men appeared from bushes and shouted "gimme your bike!" He tried to defend himself but received a broken nose before the mugging was interrupted by passersby. Two men retrieved Ciaran's bike from the would-be thieves. A woman driving past pulled over and called her husband, an off-duty paramedic, before calling Ray.
After arriving at the scene, Ray brought his son to Beaumont hospital. Ciaran will now require an operation to realign his broken nose.
"I dread to think what would have happened if the people didn’t intervene," Ray said. "We are really grateful to them and I have already contacted them to thank them for what they did."
Ray added that he "will be dropping Ciaran and collecting him by car from now on. He won’t be cycling home."
"Gardai at Santry are investigating an alleged assault which occurred on the Swords Road in Dublin just after midnight on Saturday," a Garda spokesperson said. "A number of males assaulted a 19-year-old man who had been cycling in the area. He was later taken to Beaumont Hospital to receive treatment for injuries. No property was reported stolen following the incident. No arrests have been made. Investigations are ongoing."
